


The Mountain That Moves

by Ivalee



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon, Choose Your Own Adventure, M/M, Quest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-08 04:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 61,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ivalee/pseuds/Ivalee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a nearby village is threatened by a mysterious magical force, Arthur leads his knights on a quest to save his people.  Along the way, the party from Camelot crosses paths with bandits, magical creatures, two orphaned children with a secret, and one lonely giant.  Will Arthur be able to help the people of Bellmare?  Well, dear Reader, that depends on Merlin… and YOU!</p><p>Help Merlin make the right decisions in this Choose Your Own Adventure story, and you might make life better, not only for the villagers of Bellmare, but also for some surprising new friends and our favourite lovelorn heroes.  But beware, choose the wrong path and you may doom the quest before it has even begun!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I loved Choose Your Own Adventure stories as a child, and I have always wanted to write one. Turns out it was a bit more challenging than I thought! Required more charts and timelines than I'm used to making while writing, but I had a lot of fun, and I hope everyone enjoys playing along!
> 
> Loads of hugs and thank yous to the best beta-reader and cheerleader out there, [Schweet_Heart](http://archiveofourown.org/users/schweet_heart/pseuds/schweet_heart). I had worked on this fic for months and then just got stalled, and your encouragement really helped me keep going. It’s been so much fun talking writing with you these last few months! Thank you so much for all your help and for being such a true sweetheart! ;-)
> 
> And Whimsy, I am in awe of your incredible art! I’m so glad I worked up the courage to ask you if you’d be willing to prematch for this fest. :-) Your gorgeous illustrations capture the mood of this story so beautifully- they fill my heart with joy! You have been so lovely to work with! A million thanks for all your hard work! Everyone, please go check out the [art masterpost](http://whimsycatcher.livejournal.com/2563.html) and leave loads of love!

The clash of steel against steel rang out above the shouts of the crowd. Sir Daniel advanced, and Arthur blocked. Once, twice, three times in a row Arthur made no attempt to attack, instead allowing his opponent to guide the fight.

The crowd cheered and gasped at all the right moments, mesmerised by what surely seemed to be a dire battle for dominance. But Merlin smiled to himself, knowing that, despite appearances, at no point during this fight had Arthur conceded control to his opponent. He would allow this young knight his chance in the spotlight, but he would not allow him a victory.

Sure enough, moments later, Merlin saw Arthur’s eyes flash with an instant resolve. He advanced with two quick thrusts, knocking Sir Daniel to the ground, and just like that the tournament was over.

Logically, Merlin knew these tournaments were actually rather a pointless waste of time and resources. The participants joined with high hopes of winning trophies and accolades, but in reality they had little chance of success. Arthur had the benefits of intense training from the time he could walk and the best, most expensive equipment, which gave him quite an unfair advantage over any opponent.

However, when the crowd was cheering and Arthur’s face was shining with triumphant joy, Merlin couldn’t help feeling he would burst with pride as he watched his prince wave to his people and accept his trophy.

“Well? What did you think?” Arthur asked Merlin breathlessly in his tent later as Merlin carefully removed each piece of armour.

“Not too bad.” Merlin tugged at the straps to loosen Arthur’s pauldron. “I thought Sir Daniel’s technique was excellent. He almost had you until his foot slipped in the dirt.”

There was no need for Arthur to know how proud Merlin was, however. His head was large enough already, thank you very much.

Merlin expected Arthur to get defensive at his compliment of Sir Daniel or at the very least to tease Merlin about his lack of knowledge when it came to sword fighting, but instead Arthur’s shoulders slumped with a sigh. “I suppose you’re right. Daniel has improved since the last time we fought, and it was probably just… I should make sure he has proper soles on his boots before we need him to fight in the field again.”

All light had left Arthur’s face and his melancholy pricked Merlin’s conscience, making him feel guilty for teasing his friend. Arthur had debated whether to hold this tournament in the first place. It was part of an annual festival celebrating the end of the summer harvest season, a two day long festival that brought farmers to the city from the surrounding villages to set up booths selling berries and beans and all the fruits and vegetables the people would not get to sample again until the following summer.

During the festival, a tournament was held to showcase the knights of Camelot, both as entertainment and to reassure the farmers before the coming winter months that their safety and security was a top priority.

But this year, after defeating Morgana’s immortal army, Arthur was hesitant to hold the annual celebration. Many of the knights would be unavailable to fight in the tournament as they were out scouring the countryside in search of Morgana and Morgause. And the king would not be able to make an appearance, since his mental state was somewhat altered after Morgana had tried to take over his kingdom, revealing to all that she was Uther’s daughter and, even more shocking, that she had magic.

In the end, Gaius had convinced Arthur that the people needed to see that, even though their king had not been seen outside the castle for several months, Camelot was still mighty as always and the people and their lands were secure. So, Arthur had reluctantly agreed to continue the tradition. Arthur had spent the last few months worrying about Morgana’s next move, but during this tournament, Arthur almost seemed to have forgotten the troubles that had weighed him down for weeks.

But the look on his face now told Merlin the distraction was only temporary and Arthur still felt every bit of his new responsibilities as both prince and acting king.

Arthur’s crashing return to reality was the last thing Merlin wanted, so he tried to backtrack. “Oh, I don’t think you need to worry about Daniel’s boots. His little slip in the dirt will provide him a nice excuse when he tells his version of the fight tonight at the tavern, but deep down, he’ll know there was no way he could have beaten you.” Merlin bumped Arthur’s shoulder before unbuckling his vambrace. “His technique may have improved, but everyone knows he’s nowhere near your equal.”

Arthur grunted with a half-smile, as if he recognised Merlin’s attempt to reassure him for what it was, but a bit of warmth seemed to have returned to his countenance at least.

“I should probably take a walk through the stalls the farmers have set up, to let them know their work is appreciated. Send word to the kitchens to have one of the cooks and a few kitchen boys come along to help me purchase a nice selection of produce.”

“Of course.” Merlin gathered the armour, pleased with Arthur’s plan. He knew how much it would mean to the farmers to have the prince himself show his approval of their hard work by personally selecting produce for his and his court’s meals. Uther had always sent the head chef to browse the stalls but had never bothered to walk through the town amongst the people himself.

This decision of Arthur’s to show his direct support to his people, even more than his success in the tournament, made Merlin’s chest swell with pride for his prince. He could not contain his grin as he started toward the exit of the tent, arms loaded with heavy armour. He felt Arthur come up behind him and turned sideways to let him exit the tent first.

As he glanced at Merlin’s proudly grinning face, Arthur rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Merlin. It’s not like I’ve pulled a villager from a fire. I’m just buying a few vegetables.”

He pushed past Merlin, feigning annoyance, but Merlin could not help noticing Arthur’s pleased smirk and the slight colour rising in his cheeks. All the way back to the castle, Merlin’s heart glowed with pleasure at the thought of the generous and considerate king he hoped one day to serve.

******

“I’m sorry, but Camelot simply cannot spare the resources to help your village with the harvest at the moment.”

Merlin could see the tension in Arthur’s clenched jaw and raised shoulders. He would be an absolute misery to deal with tonight after a whole day of sitting in the throne room listening to one plea after another from local farmers either requesting help bringing in an unexpectedly large harvest or asking for additional security against bandits looting their crops.

Arthur wanted desperately to be able to help his people, but these requests were ones he simply could not fulfil. No king could. Merlin began to see why Uther would not even hear such requests. Ugh… agreeing with Uther made him shudder.

As Percival escorted one group of farmers out and Gwaine escorted another group of petitioners in, Merlin made a mental note to request that Cook prepare a tray for Arthur’s dinner, preferably with his favourite pudding for dessert. After a whole day of hearing petitions, most of which he could not resolve, Merlin knew Arthur would be in no mood to eat in the dining room. And the other diners would probably rather be spared from his grizzly company that evening as well.

The first petitioner of the group stepped forward and bowed. Merlin noticed the young man was shaking slightly, clearly nervous about speaking to the prince. He stumbled over his words at first, but Arthur gave him a reassuring smile which seemed to help.

“I come from a small village called Bellmare which is on the very outskirts of Camelot’s lands, so I understand if you are unable to help us, but we are desperate, my lord. Some evil that can only be magic has been attacking our village and the surrounding lands.”

Arthur sat forward in his seat, suddenly interested. “What makes you believe magic is involved?”

“It began a week ago. Every night as we slept a force would demolish great swaths of farmland. At first we believed an army must have swept through to cause such destruction. But it continued for three nights. Each morning we would awaken to find that another farmer’s fields or orchards had been wiped out.”

“What do you mean wiped out?” Arthur wondered. “Was someone stealing the harvest?”

“No, my lord.” The villager shook his head, eyes wide. “The fields were trampled. The fruit and the vegetables were smashed into the earth along with the plants and the trees they grew on.”

Arthur’s eyes narrowed and he turned his gaze to Sir Leon who stood to the side of the throne platform. “Our scouts throughout the kingdom have not reported the movement of any armies large enough to cause such destruction, have they?”

“No, sire.” Leon gave a single, firm shake of his head. “We have received no such reports.”

Arthur returned his attention to the young man before him. “You said these attacks happened overnight. After the first attacks, did your village post any sentries in the fields at night?”

“We did, my lord.”

“And?” Arthur prompted him to continue.

“We received conflicting reports from our sentries.” The villager cringed and seemed hesitant to explain.

Now Arthur pursed his lips in frustration. Merlin could tell he was starting to get suspicious of this young man and his odd account of events. “What were their reports? I cannot help you if you are not honest with me.”

Merlin smiled. Arthur was using his most firm, authoritative voice, the one that never failed to get him results. Even Merlin was not immune to that particular tone of voice.

The villager lowered his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, steadying himself. Then he looked back up, not quite meeting Arthur’s gaze. “Each night most of the sentries saw nothing. It was as if whatever was causing the destruction knew they were watching and avoided those locations. But over the course of a week, three of them did witness...” He furrowed his brow. “Something out of the ordinary.”

Arthur stood and walked toward the young man. He was beginning to lose his patience, and several members of his court started shifting around uncomfortably. By this point, Arthur’s father would have had this petitioner removed for being so evasive.

Placing his hand on the young man’s shoulder, Arthur dipped his head to catch his eyes. “Tell me what those three men saw.” His voice was gentle now, back to reassuring. “I have witnessed unimaginable horrors performed by the hands of those who use magic. No matter how unbelievable their tales are, I need to hear the truth if we have any hope of helping the people of your village.”

Swallowing hard, the young villager nodded. “One of the sentries said a shadow came over the land, and the moon and the stars disappeared. In the darkness, he heard the trunks of trees being snapped as if they were mere twigs, but he could not see anything. When the light returned, an entire section of the forest had been levelled to the ground.”

Merlin heard a few gasps around the room, but Arthur held his gaze and gave no indication of shock or disbelief, so the young man continued.

“Another said an unearthly wail filled the air, and raindrops poured from a cloudless sky. But though the night air was cool, the rain was warm and stung his eyes, blurring his vision so he could not see until after the storm was over. When his vision cleared again, the berry patch he was guarding had been flattened. The fallen rain blended with the crushed strawberries to make pools of what looked to him like blood.”

The villager shuddered, but again, Arthur gave no reaction. In a low voice, he simply asked, “And the third witness?”

Closing his eyes, the young man lowered his head and, almost whispering, admitted, “I was the third witness.”

Merlin’s heart lurched. Of course. This young man, who couldn’t be more than seventeen years old, must have seen something so frightening, so unbelievable that he was afraid to speak it in front of the court, even to request help for his friends and his family.

Had he been reporting to the king of Camelot, this young man would have been yelled at and intimidated into submission and then sent away with no assurance of help. Uther would have sent an army to wipe out the magical threat, even if that meant taking out the village along with it.

But luckily for this young man and for his village, he was not petitioning Uther. And Arthur, who snapped at Merlin six or seven times a day, and who used to bicker incessantly with Morgana, and who had been known to lose his temper and hurl an unbalanced sword across the practise field, was unfailingly patient and understanding when one of his subjects was frightened and needed his help.

Arthur stepped closer, wrapping his arm around the young man’s shoulder and lowering his voice. “What’s your name?”

“Henry.” The boy glanced up at Arthur and seemed to gather a little courage from the fact that the prince was so interested in what he had to say.

With a reassuring smile, Arthur prompted, “And what did you see that night, Henry?”

Henry spoke so quietly that Merlin wasn’t sure anyone other than him and Arthur and possibly Leon could hear. “The mountain that separates our village from the Kingdom of Caerleon...” He tilted his head to meet Arthur’s eyes and whispered, “Moved.”

******

“Gaius!” Merlin burst into the physician’s chambers. “I need a travel bag with medication and bandages. Arthur is leading a group of knights to Bellmare, near Caerleon. Some magical force is—”

Merlin stopped in his rush to gather supplies as he noticed Gaius crouched beside his bed tending a patient. He set down the bag he had picked up and walked slowly to Gaius’s side. A woman he recognised as a shopkeeper from the lower city was lying on the bed, pale and shivering, but covered with sweat.

“Gaius? What is it?” Merlin had read in one of Gaius’s medical books about a disease known as sweating sickness. He hoped this woman was not suffering from that, as the disease was often fatal and thought to be highly contagious.

“She has a severe fever.” Gaius held a damp cloth to the woman’s forehead. “I have not yet discovered its cause. What were you saying as you came in? Is Arthur going somewhere?”

“Yes.” Merlin dipped a bowl of water from the bucket he had filled and brought into their chamber that morning. He knelt down on the opposite side of the bed from where Gaius sat and took the cloth to freshen it with cool water. “A young man asked for help protecting his village from what may be a magical force that is destroying their farmlands and forests.”

Merlin took over tending the woman’s fever while Gaius got up to prepare an herbal remedy. He explained to Gaius everything Henry had told them that morning. “He believed he saw the mountain that stands beside their village come to life and move across the fields. The moon was new and clouds covered the stars, so in the darkness, he wasn’t able to see anything but a large shadow, but he described the mountain passing before his eyes and the field he was guarding being flattened. By morning, however, the mountain was back in its usual spot, looking exactly the same as it had for as long as anyone could remember.”

Gaius frowned. “I know of no spell that can actually move the earth, but if it is true, that would be powerful magic indeed.”

“Well, Arthur is determined to discover the source of this destruction, whether it is magic or another kingdom’s army. He wants to leave this afternoon.” Merlin refreshed the cloth one more time and then left it resting on the feverish woman’s forehead as he returned to his task of packing supplies for the trip.

“Does he think Morgana might be involved?” Gaius walked to his supply shelf and began sorting through various bottles of dried herbs.

“He hasn’t mentioned her name, but I can tell he’s worried it might be her.”

Merlin’s stomach knotted with guilt every time he thought about Morgana. He felt somewhat to blame for her current destructive path. After all, he had known for more than a year that she had magic and was feeling frightened and alone, and he let her continue feeling that way, even though he could have helped. He could have showed her that magic was not all evil. He shook his head and closed the lid of the case he had packed. There was nothing he could do to change things now. All he could do was help Arthur protect the people of Camelot from her and her magic.

“Oh dear,” Gaius was mumbling as he moved the bottles around. “I’m all out of coriander, and I need it to treat her fever.” He turned to face Merlin. “There’s a few coriander plants growing just beyond the walls on the north side of the castle. Would you run out and fetch a bundle of leaves for me, Merlin?”

“Now?” Merlin was surprised at Gaius’s request. “Arthur will be ready to leave any minute. I already packed his things and sent them down to the stables. I just came to get these supplies on my way to prepare the horses in the courtyard.”

“Well, I need the coriander to bring down her fever. It won’t take long if you hurry.”

Merlin looked back at the woman who had dislodged the damp cloth as she tossed her head back and forth, most likely suffering from vivid dreams brought on by the fever. He wanted to help her, and he knew the exact location of the coriander bush Gaius mentioned, but even if he ran it would take almost half an hour to pick the herbs, bring them to Gaius and meet the traveling party in the courtyard.

“Merlin?” Gaius prompted as he returned to his stool beside the bed where the woman was now beginning to whimper in pain.

  


_Should Merlin fetch the coriander for Gaius and risk making Arthur and the knights wait for him?_     **[Go to Chapter 2](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17651806).**

 _Should Merlin tell Gaius to find someone else to fetch the herbs and risk the woman’s fever getting worse?_     [**Go to Chapter 3**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17651887).


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin set the case of medical supplies on Gaius’s work table and started toward the door. “I’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder as he bolted out the door, not even bothering to close it behind him.

In the courtyard he noticed the stable boys bringing in the horses loaded with supplies to prepare for the journey. A few of the knights were beginning to gather as well.

As Merlin ran the opposite direction, toward the gate that led outside the citadel, Gwaine called out to him. “Merlin! Arthur is looking for you! Where are you going?”

“Errand for Gaius!” Merlin shouted as he ran. “I’ll just be a few minutes!”

Merlin could imagine Arthur’s face when Gwaine told him Merlin was occupied and would not be available to arrange Arthur’s supplies on his horse the way he liked, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He tore across the bridge and rounded the corner to head toward the north wall of the castle where the coriander grew.

As soon as he got to the clearing in the woods, Merlin started picking as much coriander as he could carry. In his rush plucking the stems, Merlin accidentally tore into several leaves and wrinkled his nose at the pungent odour. Gaius claimed the coriander leaves smelled pleasant—almost lemony, but this was one of Merlin’s least favourite herbs to deal with, because to him it smelled of dead bugs. He looked wistfully toward the rosemary and lavender bushes nearby, wishing Gaius was in need of those herbs instead.

When he felt he had gathered enough of the offensive herb for Gaius to create a poultice to treat the woman’s fever, with enough leftover in case more people came down with same illness while he was away, Merlin stood and started back toward the castle. Just as he came to the edge of the woods, however, Merlin heard a noise behind him. It sounded like either an animal or a person running through the trees. He looked back and forth between the castle and the forest. If he hurried, Arthur might not have noticed he was missing yet. But if someone was running through the woods, they might be running from something or someone. They might need his help. Could he simply ignore them in order to avoid Arthur’s ire?

With a deep sigh, he shoved the bundle of coriander into his pocket and trotted deeper into the woods. The sound of cracking branches and heavy footfalls was getting closer, and Merlin was almost certain it was a person—possibly two people—rather than an animal. The brush was thick in this area, so he couldn’t see very far ahead. Finally, Merlin pushed his way through a thick bunch of vines and spotted two boys, probably about twelve or thirteen years old, running in a crouched position holding bows nocked with arrows.

They must have heard Merlin approaching, though, because both boys turned toward him and drew their bows, ready to shoot. Merlin flung his hands out, seemingly to show that he was unarmed, but also preparing himself to use magic to stop their arrows should they decide to release them.

Fortunately, the boys lowered their bows. “Sorry! We didn’t see you before!” One boy spoke, eyes wide with fright at the idea that he might have accidentally shot an innocent person.

The other boy spun around looking in all directions. “Did you see it? Which way did it go?”

“Which way did what go?” Merlin glanced around as well. Were these boys tracking an animal after all? “I didn’t see anything.”

“The unicorn!” The first boy’s eyes lit wildly. “We saw it in the woods, and we’re going to shoot it and take its horn. They’re supposed to have the ability to give you powerful strength, you know.”

Merlin’s heart sank. Why did people continue to spread these false tales about the powers of unicorn horns? It only encouraged naïve hunters to kill the pure and innocent beasts. And Merlin knew all too well the consequences of killing a unicorn. His shoulders dropped and he let out a sigh. Arthur would be furious at him for delaying the rescue party, but he couldn’t let these boys kill an innocent unicorn. Who knew what horrors would befall Camelot this time?

“Don’t you know that bad fortune will come to anyone who slays a unicorn?” Merlin would do his best to convince the boys to give up their pursuit of the creature.

“Pshhh.” One of the boys dismissed Merlin’s warning immediately. “That’s just a legend. There’s no truth to it.”

“Oh, so you believe the legend about the unicorn’s horn bringing you strength, but you don’t believe the one where you’ll be cursed if you kill such a rare and mystical creature?”

But the boys didn’t get a chance to answer Merlin as leaves rustled behind them. They whipped around, nocking their arrows again, ready for their hunt. The boys crouched down and this time were careful to keep their footfalls light as they followed the sound of crunching branches. With a sigh, Merlin followed them, although he did not take care to be quiet at all.

As they approached the sound of the animal ahead of them, the boys kept turning and glaring at Merlin as if to remind him to be quiet. The fifth time they turned, Merlin snorted. As if their sad little scowls would have any effect on his behaviour! Merlin was immune to nasty glares whilst hunting. After all, he had received hundreds of them from Arthur.

This was taking too long. Merlin knew that as essential as he was to Arthur’s comfort on these journeys, Arthur would not hesitate to leave without him, if for no other reason than to spite him for having his priorities out of whack. Merlin was about to use magic to create a loud noise to spook the unicorn into running the opposite direction from the boys, when one of them suddenly gave a surprised gasp.

“There he is!” He whispered, pointing into the brush ahead. “I see his hindquarters.”

Merlin raised his hand, ready to do whatever it took to protect the unicorn as the boys lifted their bows and aimed. But as they got a bit closer and the unicorn came into full view, Merlin couldn’t help bursting out with a loud guffaw.

“There’s your unicorn, boys!” He saw the boys deflating as they noticed what he had. Before them, sniffing around in the dirt was a very large dog with very large floppy ears, one of which was flipped over the top of its head, forming a point right in the middle that the young boys had apparently mistaken for a horn.

Still laughing to himself, Merlin left the boys shoving one another, each blaming the other for their mistake, and took off running back to the castle. As soon as he entered the courtyard, however, his light-hearted mood disappeared. The rescue party was gone. The courtyard was empty. No horses. No knights. No Arthur. They’d left without him.

Feet dragging with disappointment, he took the coriander up to Gaius’s chamber and helped Gaius prepare a remedy for the feverish woman. He thought about trying to catch up with Arthur and the knights, but of course, since Morgana might be involved, Arthur wanted to keep their route secret and refused to tell even Merlin which path he planned to take to reach the village of Bellmare.

Arthur and the knights would have to face the magical foe on their own. Merlin only hoped Arthur would be safe without his magic to protect him.

******

One week later…

“Merlin!” Arthur burst into Gaius’s chamber, shouting for his manservant.

Merlin quickly hid the book of magic he was reading and stumbled out of his room to find Arthur standing in the middle of the chamber with his hands on his hips, glaring at him.

“You’re back!” Merlin couldn’t hide his pleased grin. He was so relieved to see Arthur again, safe and sound.

“Yes, no thanks to you.” Arthur grumbled. “Next time we are preparing to leave on a quest, Merlin, I expect my servant to… I don’t know… actually be there when it is time to leave!” Arthur stalked over to Merlin and knocked him upside the head.

“Sorry.” Merlin rubbed his head and felt slightly satisfied when he noticed that Arthur’s brow furrowed with momentary concern. “Gaius needed some coriander, and then I had to stop these two boys from killing a unicorn. Or at least what they thought was a unicorn. Turned out it was just a big dog.”

Arthur held up a hand. “Forget what I said, Merlin. The measly amount of help you may have provided on the quest would not have been worth a full week of listening to your incessant babble.”

Merlin wrinkled his nose at Arthur, because he knew Arthur was only teasing him. But then he sobered. “Did you discover what was causing the destruction around Bellmare?”

Now Arthur’s expression shifted and his shoulders slumped with a sigh. “It was a giant.”

“A giant?” Merlin tried to remember if he had ever read about giants in any of Gaius’s magic books. “I didn’t know giants were real.”

“I didn’t either.” Arthur’s voice oozed disappointment. “It took all the weapons we had, but we were finally able to take him down. Unfortunately, he fell right on the town. Crushed every last building.”

Merlin’s eyes widened. “But the people?”

“They had all fled into the hills at the first sight of the giant. No one was hurt.” Arthur shrugged. “Except the giant. But their village was destroyed. They will all have to relocate.”

Merlin felt guilty all over again that he had been distracted and had missed out on being a part of this quest. “I should have been there. I could have helped.”

Arthur shook his head and gave Merlin the most dubious glare Merlin had ever seen on the prince’s face. “What on earth would you have done, Merlin? Prattled to the giant until it fell asleep from boredom? Offered to clean its clothes but made them dirtier instead?”

“Good to see this quest didn’t squash your sense of humour, my lord.” Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur who grinned back at him.

“Or maybe you could have prepared him dinner and given him food poisoning.” Arthur followed Merlin all the way back to his own chamber, laughing and mocking his manservant the entire way. He didn’t even stop as they entered his chamber. “I know! You could have cleaned his floor and left tripping hazards everywhere.”

**The End**

_If you would like to give Merlin another chance, return to the end of the previous chapter and make a different choice!_     [**Return to Chapter 1**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17651707#end).


	3. Chapter 3

“I’m sorry, Gaius. Arthur needs me.”

Merlin gathered the small bag he had packed for himself along with the medical supplies case and headed out toward the courtyard. In the corridor, he almost ran into John, one of the kitchen boys who was carrying bundles of dried meat and cheese for their journey out to load onto the horses.

“Oh, John, great! Let me take those.” Merlin piled the food bundles on top of the case he was carrying. “Gaius needs some coriander to treat a fever. Do you know where it grows just north of the castle? It’s next to the rosemary bushes.”

John nodded. “I think so. That’s the one with the bright green leaves that smell like soap, right?”

Merlin chuckled. “That’s the one. Go fetch several bunches of it and take it to Gaius, would you? He has a patient delirious with fever, so go quickly.”

John agreed and took off running, and Merlin felt a deep sense of relief that he wasn’t letting Gaius down. “Thank you!” He called after John as he continued down the stairway toward the courtyard.

Merlin noticed the stable boys bringing in the horses loaded with supplies to prepare for the journey. A few of the knights were beginning to gather as well. He headed straight for his and Arthur’s horses to add the supplies he was carrying to their load.

“Hey, is that the food?” Gwaine called to Merlin as he tightened the straps on his horse’s saddle bag. “I’ve got room for an extra bag or two here.”

“Not a chance!” Merlin laughed. “The rest of us need to eat as well.” He tied the bundles of meat and cheese onto the back of his own horse, one of the few that wasn’t loaded with armour and weaponry. Gwaine gave him a scowl.

“Spoilsport!”

Merlin chuckled back on his way to prepare Arthur’s horse. He noticed Gwen coming down the main steps wearing her trousers and carrying a travel bag. “Oh good! Are you coming along, too, then?” Merlin was pleased. If Gwen was joining them, Arthur would be on his best behaviour.

With a knowing smile, Gwen began strapping her bag to her saddle. “Well, Arthur didn’t want me to. He thinks it might be dangerous, but I felt like I needed a bit of adventure.”

Nodding his understanding, Merlin walked closer to her and lowered his voice. “You’ve been such a big help, taking care of the king lately. Arthur appreciates everything you’ve done.”

“I know he does.” Gwen’s lips curved into a half-smile, but her eyes were sad. “It’s hard for him, seeing his father like that.”

“And it has to be hard for you.” Merlin put his hand gently on her shoulder. “Taking care of the man who…” He was suddenly hesitant to speak the words, although he knew Gwen needed no reminder that Uther had killed her father. “Hurt so many people.” He gave Gwen an understanding smile.

She smiled back. “Thank you.”

They each returned their focus to preparing their horses, and before too long, Arthur had joined the group in the courtyard, barking instructions to his knights and the servants milling around. Merlin helped Arthur make the last minute adjustments to his gear before starting the long journey. After a moment, he noticed that Arthur had gone still, staring past his horse with a pensive look on his face. Merlin followed his gaze and saw Lancelot standing next to Gwen as she waited beside her horse. The pair were chatting easily and laughing, and a couple of times, Gwen reached up and touched Lancelot’s arm as she giggled. Merlin looked back at Arthur’s face, and was a little surprised to find his expression more thoughtful than angry. He would have thought Arthur would be jealous of the attention Gwen was paying Lancelot.

Arthur noticed Merlin staring at him and hastily became very concerned with adjusting his sword belt. Merlin wondered how Gwen’s presence on this quest would affect Arthur’s focus on helping the people of Bellmare. As Merlin finished up and mounted his own horse, he noticed Arthur glancing occasionally toward Gwen and Lancelot who had directed their horses into line beside one another. With one last look over his shoulder, Arthur gave the command and the group of knights, plus Gwen, Merlin and Henry, started their journey.

******

After riding for a couple of hours, the group stopped by a clear, shallow stream to water their horses. As the only servants along, Merlin and Gwen took responsibility for making sure each horse was tended while Arthur and the knights walked alongside the stream, stretching their legs and taking drinks of water themselves.

“How much farther do you estimate it is to your village, Henry?” Elyan called out as he stretched both arms above his head.

“We’ll have to stop for the night, but if we keep riding like we have been, we should arrive before noon tomorrow,” Henry answered, carefully scooping some water into his hands for a drink.

“Good.” Arthur leaned against a tree, keeping an eye on his knights. “That will give us time to take a look around and survey the damage before nightfall.”

Lancelot pulled a waterskin from his saddlebag and filled it from the stream. He turned and offered it to Gwen so she wouldn’t have to kneel in the dirt by the water. As she thanked him quietly and drank, Merlin kept an eye on Arthur. Again, he was watching Gwen and Lancelot with a thoughtful expression.

Merlin wondered what was going through Arthur’s mind. Was he jealous seeing Lancelot helping Gwen? Was he feeling guilty that Lancelot seemed more considerate of Gwen’s feelings than he was? Was he wondering whether they were rekindling their old feelings for one another?

It seemed pretty obvious to Merlin that Lancelot, at least, had never stopped caring for Gwen. And, although Gwen was certainly flattered by Arthur’s attention to her, she never seemed to look at him quite the same way as she did Lancelot. And there would be no barriers preventing Gwen and Lancelot from having a relationship with one another, whereas, so long as Uther lived, Arthur would never start a romantic relationship with a servant. And even after Uther died, the elders and members of the court might object to such a relationship.

Arthur seemed to sense Merlin’s eyes on him, and he glanced up, holding his gaze for a few moments before he pushed away from the tree and declared that it was time to move on. In their shared gaze, however, Merlin almost felt like Arthur was looking for support. But he couldn’t tell whether Arthur needed assurance that there was nothing between Gwen and Lancelot or whether he needed someone to give him permission to let Gwen go, to pursue a relationship that would make her happy.

Leon, Percival, Gwaine and Elyan mounted their horses and started down the path. Gwen and Henry followed them. Arthur was on his horse, but hanging back as Lancelot and Merlin finished refilling waterskins.

At that moment, as their whole party was separated from one another and distracted, an eerie howl tore through the air.

Merlin barely had time to turn before Gwen and Henry cried out as an enormous black dog emerged from the woods and bounded toward them. The dog reared onto its hind legs and one fearsome claw tore into the hindquarters of Henry’s horse. The horse thrashed in pain and Henry was thrown to the ground. He scrambled to get out of the way. Both his and Gwen’s horses lost control as the dog continued its attack.

Chaos reigned. Merlin heard the knights who had been on the path ahead of Gwen and Henry shouting, but he could not focus on them. Both Arthur and Lancelot had drawn their swords and were charging directly toward the great dog, Arthur on horseback and Lancelot on foot.

Merlin knew he had mere seconds to act. The dog was so massive, and he knew from its blazing red eyes that it must be a creature of magic, which meant that mortal swords might not be able to kill it. Henry was still on the ground. Gwen was fighting to stay on her horse. And Arthur and Lancelot were poised to place themselves directly between them and the creature.

If Merlin used magic to stop the dog directly, he would expose himself as a sorcerer. He could use one of his usual tricks and cause a branch to fall from a tree above onto the dog, but he couldn’t be certain the branch wouldn’t hit Gwen or Henry as well, and he didn’t want to risk hurting either of them. Another option would be to hurl himself into the middle of the attack. In the confusion, he might be able to use magic to kill the creature without anyone noticing.

  


_Should Merlin protect his friends at any cost and use magic to stop the dog?_     [**Go to Chapter 4.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17742841)

 _Should Merlin risk hurting Gwen or Henry and cause a branch to fall on the dog?_     [**Go to Chapter 5.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743180)

 _Should Merlin throw himself into the middle of the action and hope no one notices him using magic?_     [**Go to Chapter 6.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743237)


	4. Chapter 4

The giant dog was merciless. It growled from deep within its belly, making Merlin tremble with fear. The beast’s teeth seemed unnaturally white in contrast to its thick, black fur and each time it opened its mouth, they flashed like deadly daggers. It snapped and clawed at Gwen’s horse which was rearing back and attempting to beat the dog with its hooves. Gwen clung to the horse’s mane and neck, trying her best not to be thrown to the ground. Henry’s horse had fled toward the stream, but Henry hadn’t moved, and Merlin noticed the bright red of blood swelling on his trouser leg.

Arthur’s horse hesitated and would not run directly toward the massive dog. So Arthur dismounted, ready to attack the creature himself. Henry and Gwen were in the direct path of danger, and Arthur and the other knights seemed ready to risk their lives to protect them, but the vicious beast was so enormous and powerful that Merlin knew they would not be able to overcome it without injuries.

So he did the only thing he could. He threw his hands out before him and shouted, “ _Forþ fleoge!_ ”

The giant dog was thrown several feet and landed on its back with a whimper. Before it could stand again, Merlin took two steps forward, and with a low, even voice, said, “ _Folge min bebod._ ”

The creature went silent, unmoving.

The chaos from moments before gave way to an unnatural stillness as all eyes were on Merlin. He kept his own eyes on the dog for several seconds, afraid to face the fear and anger he knew he would see when he looked at his friends. But he couldn’t hide forever, so he tore his eyes from the creature he had killed and looked straight at Arthur.

And his heart sank. Arthur’s eyes were wide. Terrified. He looked right at Merlin and started shaking his head in disbelief.

“Arthur.” Merlin held out his hands, palm up, in a gesture of submission to show Arthur he needn’t be afraid. But Arthur took a step away from Merlin, his face full of fear. Tears sprung unbidden to Merlin’s eyes. The last thing he wanted was for Arthur to be afraid of him.

“I’m sorry.”

Arthur was still staring at him, and Merlin could feel everyone else watching him as well. They weren’t speaking, and Merlin wasn’t certain if their silence was because they were in shock or simply out of respect for Arthur. They must know the prince would wish to deal with his manservant himself. 

Slowly Arthur’s fear and incredulity began to change into something darker. His features hardened and he drew a slow breath, eyes narrowing. “Are you working with her? With Morgana?”

“What?” Merlin squeaked, and then shook his head adamantly. “No! Arthur, no! You know I would never betray Camelot… betray  _you_.”

“How do I know that?” Arthur’s fear was gone and he walked right up to Merlin, almost shouting right in his face. “You’re a sorcerer.” He spat the word out as if it tasted vile in his mouth. “You know the dangers of magic. You’ve seen the terrible things magic has done to my kingdom… to my family, and yet you choose to practise this treacherous craft?”

Merlin was the one backing away now. He shook his head, wanting Arthur to understand. Wanting a chance to explain that not all magic was evil.

“How long have you been learning magic behind my back? How long have you been lying and plotting against me?”

Merlin had never seen Arthur so furious. He understood that Arthur felt betrayed, but he also knew he probably felt embarrassed. After all, it was just a few months ago that he discovered the woman he grew up with and trusted as a friend had been keeping two big secrets from him: that she had magic and that she was his half-sister. And now to find out that his manservant—the person he probably spent more time with than anyone—had been secretly practising magic? No doubt it would make him feel like the most gullible person in the kingdom. He must be wondering how his knights could trust him to lead if his own servant could hide such a huge secret from him.

Merlin understood all of this, so he was able to remain calm and composed as his best friend shouted at him and accused him of treason.

“I have lied to you, Arthur. And I’m sorry.” Merlin kept his voice even and his eyes on Arthur’s. “I have kept the truth about my magic from you since the day we met.”

Arthur pulled back for a moment. This information seemed to throw him off, as he had obviously assumed that Merlin learning magic was a recent development.

“You had magic before you even came to Camelot?” Arthur was no longer shouting. His question seemed genuine.

“I was born with it.”

Once again, Arthur was taken aback. “Born with magic? I didn’t know that was possible.”

“It’s not common.” Merlin explained. “Magic that manifests at a young age is stronger than usual. Magic in infancy is apparently an indication of great power.”

“Great power?” Arthur’s voice was low and dangerous again. “So this entire time you’ve been in Camelot, you’ve been attempting to get close to the Crown. Weaselling your way into the court. Is it your goal to overthrow the Pendragons and take control of Camelot in the name of… who? The druids?”

Merlin sighed. He could hardly blame Arthur for jumping to such dramatic conclusions. He had spent his entire life hearing about the evils of magic and watching his father fight against all forms of sorcery, putting to death anyone who was even suspected of practising magic. So it was no wonder Arthur automatically felt that anyone associated with magic was evil. This was one of the reasons Merlin had kept his magic secret from Arthur, even as they had grown closer over the last few years.

“My only goals are to serve and protect you, Arthur. I promise.”

“You serve me by lying to me?” The pain in Arthur’s expression broke Merlin’s heart. “You can’t possibly expect me to believe you now.” Arthur lowered his voice so only Merlin could hear his next words. “I thought you were my friend.”

Tears filled Merlin’s eyes and began spilling down his cheeks. “I am your friend, Arthur. I care more about you than I do myself. I would do anything for you.” Merlin’s voice broke and he simply whispered, “Anything.”

Arthur stared at him for several long moments. Merlin didn’t know what else he could say to convince Arthur that he was not out to harm him in any way, so he remained silent, tears still streaming down his face.

After the silence between them had stretched for nearly a minute, Lancelot spoke up. “Arthur, he’s telling the truth. I have never known Merlin to use his magic to do harm to Camelot.”

Arthur’s head jerked toward Lancelot and he rounded on him. “You knew?” Lancelot’s face sunk, as he seemed to realise that speaking up at this moment was probably a mistake. “You knew he was a sorcerer and you never told me?”

“I knew he wasn’t a danger, and therefore, it wasn’t my secret to tell.”

Lancelot’s honesty and logic only seemed to make Arthur more angry.

“You are a knight of Camelot, Lancelot. It is your duty to serve the king and to uphold the laws of the kingdom.” Arthur unconsciously reached for his sword as he spoke. “By aiding a sorcerer and keeping his magic a secret from your king, you have broken several laws. How long have you known?”

“Since the night he used magic to defeat a griffin. The first time I came to Camelot.”

“Years.” Arthur’s shoulders sank. “You kept it from me for years. Just like he did.”

A deep sadness filled Lancelot's eyes, but he did not apologise.

Arthur whipped around to face the others. “Who else knew? Have you all been laughing at me this whole time?”

The other knights shook their heads, and Gwen looked up from nursing Henry’s wound to indicate to Arthur that she did not know either.

Turning back to face Merlin, Arthur demanded, “Who else knows? Who else has been committing treason against their king to protect a useless servant?”

“He’s hardly useless, Arthur.” Lancelot spoke up. “He just saved us all from that creature, and he has saved your life many times before.”

Arthur glared at Lancelot. “I don’t want to hear another word from you. Not right now.” But when he looked back at Merlin, his expression had softened somewhat. “Is that true?”

“Yes.” Merlin stepped closer, wishing there weren’t so many people listening to this conversation. “Arthur, my magic exists for you. It’s my destiny to protect you, and that’s what I’ve always tried to do.”

“You killed the griffin, not Lancelot?” Arthur asked, and Merlin nodded. “The Immortal Army?” His eyes widened. “The knights of Medhir?” Merlin nodded again, and Arthur sighed. “Your destiny, huh? Does fate have so little faith in me?”

Now it was Merlin’s turn to sigh. It always came down to a lack of confidence with Arthur. He put on a good show, and his men never wavered in their faith in his leadership, but underneath, he always lacked confidence in his own abilities. Merlin could kick Uther for doing this to his son.

“No, Arthur, you are far from incompetent. You are destined to become the greatest king the world has ever known, and any great king is bound to have enemies. You’re quite capable of dealing with enemies, both in battle and with strategy and diplomacy.” Merlin chuckled. “You’re certainly better in that regard than your father. But some of your enemies will use magic against you. Is it not right that you have the tools to fight against them as well? Because that’s what magic is, Arthur. It’s a tool. Like a hammer or an axe.” He paused and smiled slightly. “Or a sword.”

Arthur gave a small smile as well and hope sprung up inside Merlin. Maybe his words were getting through to Arthur. Maybe he would be able to show Arthur that not all magic was evil and that he could be trusted to serve and protect Camelot. Maybe he and Arthur could remain friends.

But then Arthur’s face hardened again. “You should have told me.”

“How?” Tears stung Merlin’s eyes once more. “Would you have kept my secret from your father? Because we both know there’s no way even you could convince Uther that I wasn’t an evil sorcerer out to destroy Camelot.”

“Because he has seen how magic corrupts people.” Arthur could not help defending his father, it seemed. “Even good and loyal people.”

Merlin lowered his voice. “I know Morgana hurt you, Arthur, but I would never do that.” He tried to catch Arthur’s gaze. “I would never turn against you. You have to believe me.”

“I do believe you.” Arthur’s voice was low and sincere, but he wouldn't meet Merlin’s eyes, and Merlin was suddenly filled with a sense of dread. “But that doesn’t matter. The law is the law and you have been breaking it. I should sentence you to death.”

Merlin heard Gwen gasp behind him.

“But I don’t think I can do that. So you are banished. You must leave Camelot and never return.”

At his declaration, several of the knights cried out in surprise. Gwaine said, “No!” and Elyan said, “Arthur, are you certain?”

Arthur held up one hand to silence them. “The law is clear. I am Crown Prince of Camelot and it is my duty to uphold the law. With no exceptions. It doesn’t matter who he is. Or what he’s meant…”

Merlin thought he heard Arthur’s voice break on those last words, but Arthur looked quickly toward Lancelot.

“Lancelot, you too have broken the law. You’ve been a noble and faithful knight, but I’m afraid I must also banish you.”

This time Gwen cried out, “No, Arthur!”

Arthur started to turn, but Merlin reached for his arm. He was surprised Arthur did not pull away, and he was even more surprised to find Arthur’s eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Arthur, you don’t have to do this.” Merlin murmured low so no one else would hear. “I’m certain that everyone here would keep my secret. I need to stay with you. I have a duty to keep you safe.”

Arthur looked down, disappointed. And suddenly Merlin understood.

“But more than duty… more than destiny makes me want to protect you and stay by your side.” Arthur’s eyes raised to meet Merlin’s again, and Merlin smiled. “I can see what a wonderful king you will be. How good you will be for all the people of Camelot. But even more than that… you are my friend, Arthur. I care about you, and I never want to see you hurt.”

For a moment, Merlin thought he saw Arthur’s resolve softening. He thought Arthur would change his mind. But then Arthur jerked his arm away from Merlin and gave him a steely eyed glare. “Then look away.”

He stalked over to take the reins of his horse from Percival who had picked them up after Arthur dismounted. He wrapped the reins around a tree and motioned for his knights to tie their horses as well.

“Divide the supplies so we have everything we need to get to Henry’s village, but make sure Lancelot and Merlin have the food and water they’ll need on their journey away from Camelot.”

The knights sprang into action, and Arthur knelt beside Gwen to check on Henry’s injury. Lancelot reluctantly began helping the others divide up the supplies, but Merlin stood in shock, not wanting to believe this was happening.

After a few moments, however, he had to speak up. “At least let us accompany you to Bellmare.”

Arthur looked up at him.

“If the destruction is being caused by magic, then you’ll need me.” Merlin shrugged. “Please. Let me help.”

But Arthur remained firm. “You think that if you help with this, I’ll let you stay in Camelot. But I cannot even bear to look at you anymore, Merlin. You have been lying to me for years, and I cannot forgive you for that.”

Arthur turned away, and Merlin began to cry in earnest. What hurt Merlin most at that moment was not that he would be separated from Arthur, as painful as the thought of that separation was, it was that Arthur would forever remember Merlin as someone who had lied to him and betrayed him. Who hurt him.

After the supplies had all been divvied up and goodbyes had been said all around, including a particularly long and touching hug between Gwen and Lancelot, Merlin and Lancelot stood with their horses, watching the others ride away. Merlin kept his eyes on Arthur until he could no longer see any trace of him, and then he broke into tears again.

“What should we do, Merlin?” Lancelot asked, his voice hollow. “Where should we go?”

  


_Should Merlin and Lancelot follow Arthur’s orders and leave Camelot to make a new life in another kingdom?_     [**Go to Chapter Seven.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743273)

 _Should Merlin and Lancelot ignore their banishment and follow Arthur and the others at a discreet distance to help them at Bellmare?_     [**Go to Chapter Eight**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743339)


	5. Chapter 5

Merlin decided he had to act fast. Lancelot and Arthur were charging at the huge dog, whose jaw looked so strong it could rip them to shreds in seconds. So, not wanting to risk anyone finding out about his magic, Merlin focused on the branch above the creature, whispered a spell under his breath and then carefully controlled its trajectory as it fell. He was able to make the heavy branch land directly on the creature’s head, causing it to fall, unconscious, to the ground.

Arthur and Lancelot stopped in their tracks looking up with shock at the tree above, whose branch had seemingly fallen for no reason.

“Well, that was lucky!” Gwaine called from the opposite side of the beast.

“Very lucky.” Elyan sounded suspicious and started looking carefully at each of the members of the party.

Fortunately, Lancelot spoke up in defence of Merlin’s secret. “Earlier I thought I had noticed that one of the branches was loose. We’re lucky it fell on the creature, rather than on one of us.”

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief and caught Lancelot’s eye, nodding a silent thank you. Henry was whimpering in pain, and Gwen scrambled over to his side.

“Oh no! He’s been hurt!”

Gwen turned to look at Merlin, who was in charge of the medical supplies, so Merlin trotted over to his horse to retrieve the medical pack from his saddle bag. As he tended to the gash on Henry’s leg where the dog had scratched him, Arthur and the others examined the fallen creature.

“This is not a normal dog.” Leon paced alongside it, measuring its length. “What is it?”

“I’m not sure.” Arthur answered.

“It’s a Barghest.” Merlin spoke up and all eyes turned toward him in surprise. He gave a half-shrug. “I read about it in one of Gaius’s books.”

“What exactly is a Barghest?” Elyan asked. He knelt down beside the creature and reached out his hand, but held back, hesitant to touch it.

“It’s a magical hound that is known to reside in these forests. It usually attacks lone travellers, though.” Merlin looked around at everyone. “I’ve not heard of it attacking a large group like this.”

Arthur stood and faced Merlin. “I wonder what caused it to act out of character.”

“I’m not sure.” Merlin looked beyond the Barghest into the forest. “There might have been something driving it out of the woods?”

“Or maybe its food source disappeared.” Percival placed a hand on the dog’s back and then leaned down to rest his ear against the creature, listening carefully. “I think it’s dead.”

“Good.” Henry stared bitterly at the Barghest as Merlin continued bandaging his leg.

“Well.” Arthur walked over and placed his hand on Henry’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re not hurt worse, and we are indeed lucky no one else was injured. Most likely, this creature, like any wild animal, was searching for food or defending its territory.” He glanced at Merlin. “Will Henry be able to continue traveling?”

Merlin nodded. “Yes. It’s a surface wound, and as long as we keep it clean to protect against infection, it should heal quickly.”

“Thanks, Merlin.” Arthur motioned to the others to gather up to leave again. “Is Henry’s horse okay?”

Gwaine was examining the horse’s hindquarters where the Barghest had scratched it. “I think so. I think it’s only a surface wound, too, but I’ll trade horses with you, Henry, just in case this one has trouble.”

Merlin helped Henry to his feet and kept an arm around him while he tested his weight on his injured leg. “You should be fine to ride. And by tomorrow, you’ll be able to walk on it normally again.”

“Thank you.” Henry gave a weak smile before glancing down at the massive dog lying on the ground. “Is this what your quests are usually like?”

Chuckling, Merlin helped Henry mount Gwaine’s horse. “Not really. We haven’t run into any bandits, yet, after all.” He flashed a wicked grin at Henry who laughed half-heartedly as if he wasn’t certain whether Merlin was joking or not.

Once everyone was safely on their horses again, Arthur led the way down the path, away from the Barghest and toward Bellmare.

  


[**Continue to Chapter 9**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743381) and hope the gang doesn’t run into any bandits. 


	6. Chapter 6

Knowing he had mere moments to act before the giant dog ripped off someone’s arm with its powerful jaw and six-inch teeth, Merlin grabbed a branch from the ground to use as a weapon, and with a whooping war cry, hurled himself into the middle of the attack.

He slashed the branch back and forth wildly, yelling continuously as he charged directly at the creature. His distraction tactic was almost too good, as even Arthur paused for a moment, completely dumbfounded by Merlin’s display. Fortunately, Arthur’s battle training kicked in and he stepped up beside his manservant, swinging his sword boldly. He barely nicked the dog’s belly, but Merlin decided this was his chance. He concentrated on the slight wound and, with a little push of magic, opened the skin further until blood poured from a deep gash.

The creature staggered a little and then fell to the ground, dead.

“Nicely done, Arthur!” Gwaine called from the opposite side of the dog. And the others joined in, offering congratulations to the prince for slaying the beast.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. No one had noticed him using magic to help Arthur’s sword along. Although when he glanced up at Lancelot, he did receive a subtle smile and quick nod in acknowledgment of his contribution.

Arthur turned to Merlin and guffawed. “Merlin! What the hell was that?” He flailed his arms above his head, swinging his sword madly and bellowing maniacally for a few seconds before he doubled over, cackling with glee. “What did you think you could do with that stick?”

The other knights, minus Lancelot, joined Arthur in his laughter until they realised that Henry was whimpering in pain.

Gwen scrambled over to his side. “Oh no! He’s been hurt!”

Merlin quickly retrieved the medical pack from his saddle bag and then knelt beside Henry to tend the gash on his leg where the dog had scratched him. Arthur and the others began to examine the fallen creature.

“This thing is huge!” Gwaine paced the length of it where it lay on the forest floor. “It can’t be a normal dog.”

“It’s not.” Merlin spoke up as he finished cleaning Henry’s wound. “It’s called a Barghest. I remember seeing it in one of Gaius’s books.”

“It’s magical, isn’t it?” Arthur stared at the creature with obvious disdain.

“Yes,” Merlin said. “Although a Barghest usually attacks lone travellers. I wouldn’t have expected it to come after a large group like this.”

Gwaine prodded at the animal with his foot. “So why did it attack us, then?”

“Animals attack when they feel threatened,” Elyan offered, looking out into the forest. “Maybe it has young nearby that it was protecting. Or maybe its food source has disappeared or its home has been destroyed. Perhaps the Barghest has been affected by the same threat as Henry’s village.”

Arthur nodded his agreement. “All the more reason to continue as quickly as possible. Gwaine, since you’re a more experienced rider than Henry, you take the injured horse and let Henry ride yours.” He turned to Merlin. “Is Henry okay to ride on his own?”

Merlin helped Henry to his feet and kept an arm around him while he tested his weight on his injured leg. “He should be, and by tomorrow, he’ll be able to walk normally again.”

“Thank you, Merlin.” Arthur motioned to the others to gather up to leave again. “I guess you’re not a complete idiot.” He reached over and ruffled Merlin’s hair before returning to his horse.

As the group started down the path, Arthur called back. “Hey Merlin, don’t forget your stick! We might run into another Barghest!” The others laughed good-naturedly, and Arthur looked back at Merlin with an affectionate smirk.

Merlin smiled ruefully at the prince, but after Arthur turned away, Merlin’s smile turned genuine. It was good to see Arthur laughing and joking again.

Beside him, Henry kept looking back nervously at the massive dog that had attacked them. “Is this what your quests are usually like?”

“Well, we’ve never run across a magical hound before.” Merlin shrugged. “We usually run into bandits.”

  


[**Continue to Chapter 9**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743381) and hope the gang doesn’t run into any bandits. 


	7. Chapter 7

Merlin and Lancelot decided to head south toward Nemeth. They settled in a small village where the people were friendly and hard workers. Lancelot took a job in the local blacksmith shop where his knowledge of swords and weaponry was rather useless, as the town had no need of weapons—only farm tools.

After several months spent pining over the loss of Guinevere, Lancelot decided it was time to move on. Eventually, he fell in love with the blacksmith’s daughter. When Merlin tried to point out the humour in that situation, Lancelot just glared at him, so he shut up and never mentioned it again.

Merlin settled outside the village in a cottage with enough land to grow herbs. He helped out where he could as a healer, using a combination of herbal remedies and the secret application of magic to heal any number of illnesses and farming injuries. Only farming injuries, though, because the village was so peaceful there was never any need to patch up battle wounds. Merlin also developed a reputation as a bit of a recluse, because he would sometimes disappear for days or even weeks at a time. He always returned, however, a little weary, but always ready to heal and help the people of the village whenever he could.

A few months after Merlin and Lancelot arrived, the villagers received word that the king of Camelot had died and his son, Arthur, had been crowned king. Occasionally groups of travellers would pass through with stories of the king of Camelot and his miraculous luck that seemed to protect him against foes both magical and political.

Years passed and Camelot thrived. Peace reigned throughout Albion and most of the people who lived in the five kingdoms led happy, fulfilled lives.

The villagers were grateful for the strange recluse who healed them, and they never asked him why he rarely smiled. And the people of Camelot appreciated the kindness of their king and always wondered at the deep sadness that seemed to haunt him.

**The End**

_ If you would like to give Merlin another chance, return to the end of the previous chapter and make a different choice! _   [**Return to Chapter 4.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17742841#end)


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin stood, shoulders slumped as Arthur led the others down the path toward Henry’s village. Gwen turned and looked back mournfully at both Merlin and Lancelot. Henry looked back too, a little confused, and each of the knights glanced their way a few times.

But Arthur did not look back even once, and that, more than anything else, pierced Merlin’s heart like a knife. Arthur meant more to him than anyone else ever had. They shared a bond that went beyond friendship; their destinies were entwined. Yes, it was Merlin’s duty to protect Arthur, but his actions were guided by more than duty. Even if Merlin could turn his back on his destiny, he could not turn his back on the man he had grown to care for.

“I can’t abandon him, Lancelot.”

Lancelot sighed, his eyes showing his deep sadness. “I don’t want to leave any more than you do, but if Arthur sees us again, I’m afraid he will kill us on the spot. He would feel it was his duty.”

Merlin swallowed hard, heart clenching with the realisation that Lancelot was right. He knew enough of Arthur’s commitment to his father to know that Arthur would indeed put them to death if they defied him. But Merlin also knew enough of Arthur’s heart and his deep sense of loyalty to know that killing his friends would likely destroy him.

Drawing in a deep breath, Merlin looked back at Lancelot. “Then I will have to remain hidden.” His voice sounded hard, even to his own ears. “I will follow Arthur, and I will protect him and help him in any way I can, but he must never know. I’ve been protecting him for years without his knowledge anyway. I can keep doing just that. You don’t have to come with me, though. You should go make a new life for yourself somewhere else.”

Lancelot shook his head, dismissing that suggestion out of hand, so, relieved, Merlin continued. “All right, then. We will follow Arthur and the others, but we’ll stay out of the way, so we can protect them and help Arthur’s strategies to succeed. We’ll be their guardians, but we won’t have any contact with them. We’ll keep watch over their lives, but we won’t be a part of their lives.” Merlin raised his eyebrows. “Do you agree?”

Lancelot gave a firm nod. “I do. It’s the only way. I won’t let her—any of them—get hurt. And that will be my life’s mission.”

“Well, then.” Merlin also nodded with resolution. “Let’s go after them.”

Merlin and Lancelot followed Arthur and the others to Henry’s village. They remained on the outskirts of the village and took turns donning a cloak to walk through the centre of town to discover what Arthur might be planning. When Merlin saw Arthur gather the knights and the men of the village around him, Merlin used an eavesdropping spell to listen in on what Arthur was telling the group. He instructed them to build a wall along the path of the most recent destruction, and they would wait for the magical force to show itself.

That night, Merlin and Lancelot waited along with the others, although from a discrete distance so they wouldn’t be seen. Shortly before midnight, they finally discovered what Henry meant when he said the mountain had moved. The mountain stood right up, becoming a giant shadow looming across the land. Merlin suddenly realised the giant shadow was, in fact, a giant, cloaked in darkness. So he ran closer and called out a spell to remove the glamour preventing Arthur and the others from seeing the giant for what it was.

The moment he realised what they were up against, Arthur called to Gwaine to evacuate the village. Everyone fought valiantly, using any weapon at their disposal, and they were finally able to take down the giant. Unfortunately, when it fell, it landed on top of the village, crushing most of the buildings. Henry and the other villagers would have to find a new place to live. And afterward, Merlin was quite sad that such a unique magical creature had to die.

When Arthur and the others returned to Camelot, Merlin and Lancelot followed, settling in the forest on the outskirts of the city. Merlin became an expert at creating magical disguises so he and Lancelot could keep a protective eye on their friends.

Merlin often caught Arthur casting a suspicious gaze into the forest or down the corridors of the castle after Merlin made a magical save that looked like a fortunate coincidence. Lancelot grew ever more reckless in his attempts to ensure Gwen’s safety and happiness, until finally, he made the ultimate sacrifice to rid the world of the Dorocha Morgana had summoned.

Without Lancelot for company, Merlin grew hard, closing himself off completely from society. During one of Morgana’s frequent attempts on Arthur’s life, Merlin decided enough was enough, and he took her life. He spent the rest of his days living outside Camelot, always watching out for the people he loved, protecting them and making sure their lives were safe, if not always completely happy.

**The End**

_ If you would like to give Merlin another chance, return to the end of the previous chapter and make a different choice! _    [**Return to Chapter 4.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17742841#end)


	9. Chapter 9

As they rode along the path, Arthur and Leon were in the lead, discussing the safest and quickest route to Bellmare. Elyan and Gwaine were teasing Percival about the trouble he was having mastering a new sword technique, although he gave as good as he got and teased them right back about their lack of skills with the large, heavy mace he had recently acquired. Gwen and Lancelot had fallen a bit behind the others and were deep in conversation as they rode. Merlin remained beside Henry, occasionally checking on him as he winced each time the horse stepped over a fallen branch or a rough patch in the path.

Soon, though, Arthur and Leon fell back, and Leon engaged Henry in a conversation about the number of people who lived in his village and what types of farmland surrounded the town. And Arthur pulled alongside Merlin.

Voice low, he asked, “How’s the kid doing? Will he be able to keep up and get us to his village?”

“I believe so.” Merlin nodded, glancing toward Henry who had perked up a bit talking about his home. “He is in pain—probably more than he’s ever experienced, but unless the wound gets infected, he should recover.”

They rode in silence for a few moments and then Merlin asked Arthur, “What is your plan for when we get to Henry’s village? How do you plan to fight against what sounds like quite a strong magical force?”

Sighing, Arthur turned a somewhat defeated gaze to Merlin. “I’m not sure. I mean maybe we’ll get lucky and it won’t be magic after all. I’m confident that we could defeat any physical enemy.” Shaking his head and pursing his lips, he continued, “But if it’s Morgana? Or some other magical enemy? We’ll have to play it by ear and hope for the best, I guess.”

Merlin smiled. “Well, you have been known to pull out some surprising victories, Arthur. I think luck will remain on our side for this quest.”

Arthur smiled back at Merlin, nodding his appreciation of Merlin’s faith in him. But just then, shouting erupted from the woods around them and a group of at least twenty bandits streamed from their hiding places onto the path, brandishing all manner of crude weapons, clearly hoping to intimidate the group into turning over any valuables.

“What was that you were saying about luck being on our side, Merlin?” Arthur shouted as he whipped out his sword, ready to fight.

But Merlin didn’t respond, because he had hopped down from his horse for maximum manoeuvrability. During fights like this, he liked to be able to keep an eye on everyone involved, so he could send a little magical assistance wherever necessary. Although, he did tend to keep the closest eye on Arthur. He couldn’t help that.

Arthur, Lancelot, Leon and Elyan, still on horseback, rode through the fray, swinging their swords at the bandits to take out as many as they could. Gwaine and Percival had either dismounted or been pulled from their horses and were fighting two bandits each.

Gwen and Henry stood back to back, each holding a dagger to defend themselves, but so far, the bandits were ignoring them. Merlin cast a stunning spell toward a group of three bandits charging toward Gwaine. Two of them fell to the ground, and Gwaine easily disarmed the third.

“Gwen! Watch out!” Merlin heard Elyan shout, so Merlin spun around to see a large, bearded man running toward Gwen and Henry, sword extended. Merlin tossed a telekinetic spell in his direction, causing him to trip. The moment he hit the ground, Gwen picked up a hefty rock from the side of the road and smashed it down on the man’s head.

“Quick thinking, Gwen!” Elyan shouted his approval as he hopped down from his horse, pulled his extra sword from its sheath on the saddle, and ran over to stand with Gwen and Henry. He tossed the spare sword to his sister, who caught it deftly with one hand, tucking her knife back into her belt.

Merlin turned his attention back to Arthur who had also dismounted and was caught up in a sword fight with three bandits at once. With Arthur’s strength and training, as well as his natural fighting talent and excellent reflexes, Merlin was certain he could hold his own against these three untrained men; however, a little help couldn’t hurt, so Merlin focused a bit of magical energy on one man’s legs, causing his knees to give way beneath him. As he buckled to the ground, Arthur knocked him out with the hilt of his sword.

Merlin spun on the spot to survey the rest of the battle. A few bandits remained, but the knights were easily beating them, and most of the ruffians had apparently decided robbing this little group of knights was more trouble than it was worth, and were fleeing into the woods.

Percival and Lancelot took out the last two bandits, and everyone stood, looking around cautiously, still holding their weapons. Slowly they all started to breathe sighs of relief as it seemed the attack was over.

“Is anyone hurt?” Arthur called out to the group.

The knights shook their heads, and Gwen turned to check on Henry, but he seemed to be too stunned after the battle even to notice the pain in his leg. Arthur turned to look at Merlin who was standing off to the side, holding no weapon.

Arthur scowled at him. “Completely useless as usual, I see, Merlin.”

Merlin sighed. Would Arthur ever see him as anything other than useless?

“Don’t worry, Merlin. My knights and Guinevere will keep you safe. Let’s move on before these guys come to and decide they need revenge, shall we?”

Arthur and the others started to gather up the bandits’ weapons and corral their own horses. But as Merlin walked to the edge of the road to retrieve his horse, he heard small voices in the woods behind him.

“No, Teddy, this is our chance to get away.”

“But we can’t even walk like this. They have knives and things. They can untie us.”

“We’ll figure it out on our own. We always do. I think I can get the ropes off, and I’ll be careful. I promise. We don’t know what these people will do if they find us.”

The hushed voices sounded like two children arguing, so Merlin moved closer, careful not to make noise and startle them away. Just beyond a wide tree, he saw a young girl hunched over a smaller boy, trying to untie ropes that were wound around his ankles, binding his legs and preventing him from being able to walk. Had these two been prisoners of the bandits? What kind of monsters would hold two young children captive like this? It seemed the children were mistrustful of any adults, so they were hesitant to ask the group of knights for help, but Merlin felt they were too young to be left in the woods on their own.

“Hello.” He stepped around the tree and approached the children carefully. “Can I help you with that?”

They startled and looked up at Merlin in fright. The little girl said, “No. We’re fine. You can leave.”

She kept her wide eyes trained on him as she wrapped an arm around the shoulders of the boy beside her. Merlin wondered if he was her little brother. They both had dark hair and the same round, brown eyes with long, dark lashes.

Merlin pulled out the knife that was tucked into his belt and held it out to the girl, blade flat in his palm, handle toward her, so she wouldn’t feel he was threatening her.

“Here. You can use my knife to cut the ropes free.” When she still hesitated, he gave her a reassuring smile and jerked his head back toward the road. “It’s okay. I won’t say anything to the others yet.”

She swiftly knelt up, snatched the knife from his hand and immediately began cutting at the ropes binding the little boy. Her own hands were bound together at the wrist, but she had already managed to loosen the ropes enough that, with Merlin’s knife, she made quick work of slicing through the cords both around the boy’s ankles and around his wrists. Then she began cutting apart the ropes binding her own ankles.

“My name is Merlin.” He smiled at the children again. “What are your names?”

The little boy grinned broadly as he rubbed his wrist with his newly freed hand. “I’m Teddy, and this is my sister, Hilda.”

“Teddy!” Hilda hissed at him, shaking her head violently. She clearly did not think they should trust Merlin.

“What?” Teddy seemed confused by his sister’s displeasure. “He’s nice.”

Hilda attempted to cut the ropes around her wrists, but was unable to get the knife at the right angle to do more than hack uselessly at the thick material. “Here.” She handed Teddy the knife. “Help me with this.”

Her brother, who Merlin decided was no more than six or seven years old, held the knife loosely, trying to slice through the rope, but he kept slipping and, more than once, nicked his sister’s skin. She flinched as a thin line of blood appeared on the outside of her wrist, but she didn’t say anything.

“May I?” Merlin held out his hand to Teddy, asking for the knife, and then turned his eyes to Hilda, requesting her permission as well.

She hesitated for a moment, but then nodded reluctantly, so Merlin slid the knife’s blade carefully between her wrists and the rope and sliced the bindings away. She rubbed her wrists, too, just like her brother and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Where is your family?” Merlin asked, afraid he already knew the answer to that question.

“We don’t have a family.”

Hilda kept her eyes toward the ground as she answered, but Teddy looked up at Merlin, wide-eyed. “Our mama died right after I was born, and then a couple of years ago, Papa went out hunting one morning, and he never came back.”

Merlin looked more closely at these two children. Their clothes were worn and covered with dirt and stains. They were both quite thin, with dark circles beneath their eyes. Teddy’s hair looked as if it could use a trim. It hung over his ears on the sides and almost into his eyes in front. And Hilda’s hair was pulled into two messy braids with no distinct part along the top of her head, as if she had braided it without the help of a brush.

“Have you been on your own for two years?”

“At first some of our neighbours looked out for us.” Hilda still hadn’t looked up from the ground. “But then… They stopped. And we had to leave.”

“Did something happen that made them stop taking care of you?” Merlin wondered what would cause any responsible adult to allow such young children to be on their own.

Hilda and Teddy exchanged a frightened look, and then Teddy spoke up. “No. They just stopped. And we left.”

“But we’re fine!” Hilda insisted. “We find plenty of food in the forest, and we have a little cave where we sleep.”

Teddy nodded adamantly. “Hilda takes good care of us.”

Merlin looked at Hilda, who couldn’t be more than ten years old, and wondered what it must be like for her to have so much responsibility at such a young age. Then the ropes that had fallen to the ground beside her knees caught his eye.

“What about those bandits? How did you two wind up with them?”

Once again, the young siblings exchanged a hesitant glance before Hilda answered. “They found our cave and our stash of smoked rabbit meat. We tried to stop them from stealing our food, but there were too many of them. They tied us up and said they were going to turn us in at the next town to try to get a reward. I guess they thought someone must be looking for us.”

Merlin watched her face, sceptical, because she kept cutting her eyes toward the ground as she spoke. She was definitely hiding something, but he decided not to push it.

“Thank you for freeing us.” Hilda stood and pulled her brother to his feet, keeping hold of his hand as she edged backward, away from Merlin. “We’ll just be on our way, then.”

She nudged Teddy and he quickly agreed. “Yes, thank you. We’ll go back to our cave.”

Merlin didn’t feel right about letting these young children go back to living on their own in the woods, although they did seem quite capable and had managed well up to this point.

  


_Should Merlin allow Hilda and Teddy to return to their cave to live on their own?_   [ **Go to Chapter 10.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743720)

 _Should Merlin insist that the kids come along with the group to look after them?_   [ **Go to Chapter 11.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743783)


	10. Chapter 10

“Well, I guess that’s all right.” Merlin was still hesitant, but the kids seemed so anxious to be on their way, and other than being captured by bandits, they had gotten along well on their own so far.

Hilda smiled gratefully, but just then, Gwen’s voice called out from the direction of the road.

“Merlin! Arthur’s ready to leave. Where are you?”

Before Hilda and Teddy had a chance to get away, Gwen stepped through the brush and stopped short when she saw the kids.

“Oh! Merlin, who’s this?” She gave the children a sweet smile.

“This is Hilda and her brother, Teddy.” Merlin explained. “They were being held prisoner by the bandits, but I’ve cut them loose now, so they’re on their way back to their… home.”

Gwen peered into the woods behind the kids. “Where is your family? Is your home nearby?”

Hilda looked disappointed as if she knew they had missed their chance to escape. “We have no family. And our home is not too far. About a day and a half’s walk that way.” She gestured vaguely behind her.

Merlin’s heart sank. What had he been thinking? Hilda looked so young all of a sudden. And if they had been traveling with the bandits for more than a day, how would she and Teddy ever find their way back to their cave?

Gwen cooed sadly at Hilda and Teddy. “Well, it’s not safe for two children to be roaming these woods alone. Never mind bandits, there’s wild animals and magical creatures and who knows what other dangers out there. You should come with us until we can get you safely back home.”

She reached out and took Hilda’s hand, leading her and Teddy toward the road. “Come on, kids, we’ll take care of you. You look hungry. We have some bread and cheese you could have.”

Merlin walked with Gwen and the children back to join Arthur and the others.

  


**Thank Gwen for making Merlin come to his senses, and[continue to Chapter 11.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743783)**


	11. Chapter 11

When Arthur saw Hilda and Teddy step out of the woods onto the road, he looked questioningly at Merlin. “Who are they? Where did you find them?”

The kids stopped, eyes growing wide when they saw Arthur and the other knights. Apparently, they hadn’t realised it was Camelot knights who had fought off the bandits. So Merlin put one arm around each of their shoulders and walked them straight up to Arthur.

“Arthur, this is Hilda and her brother, Teddy. Their parents aren’t around anymore, and they’ve been living on their own for a while. The bandits kidnapped them from the cave where they lived and were holding them captive.”

Merlin had no idea how Arthur would react to having two young children tagging along with them on this quest, so he plunged ahead before Arthur had much chance to react.

“Kids, this is Prince Arthur.” When Hilda drew a sharp breath and Teddy tried to take a step back, both clearly intimidated being face to face with royalty, Merlin gave their shoulders a squeeze. “I know prince of Camelot sounds awfully impressive, but you’ll see… Arthur’s a good guy. He looks out for his people. No matter who they are.”

Merlin gave Arthur a pointed look, but his expression softened immediately when he realised that Arthur was already smiling broadly at the children.

“Merlin’s right.” He gave a sly wink. “And that’s not something you’ll hear me say often. The people of this kingdom are more important to me than anything.” He reached forward and tousled Teddy’s hair. “Even tiny people. Come on, we need to move on. Hilda, you can ride with Gwen.” He looked toward Gwen, eyebrows raised, but of course, Gwen agreed readily. “And Teddy, you can ride with Merlin.”

Arthur leaned down and lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Merlin sometimes has trouble looking out for himself, so do me a favour and keep him safe, would you, Teddy?”

Teddy grinned and nodded rapidly. As Teddy ran off to let Lancelot help him onto Merlin’s horse, Arthur pulled Merlin aside. “You did the right thing, Merlin. Those kids are far too young to be left on their own.”

Merlin watched Arthur walk toward his horse with a swelling warmth in his chest. Sometimes Arthur made Merlin so proud he thought he would burst. Taking these two kids along would certainly slow them down on their quest, and they didn’t know anything about them, except they were orphans who had been living in the woods on their own, but the prince of Camelot was willing to take them on. To show them that they mattered. This was one of those times when Merlin saw the kind of king Arthur would be and felt a deep satisfaction and faith that the future of Albion was in good hands.

They continued riding the rest of the afternoon without running into more trouble. Arthur selected a spot just off the road where they could camp for the night. Gwaine and Lancelot headed into the forest to hunt for some meat for their supper. As Merlin, Gwen and the knights tended the horses and made camp, Merlin noticed that Arthur was chatting with Henry and Teddy, showing them his sword and laughing with them as he let them hold it and try to swing it. Teddy was so small, he could barely hold the sword upright!

But Hilda was standing off to the side, peering around at the other members of the party with suspicion. Merlin knew she wanted to go back to the cave with her little brother. She had been through a lot of pain in her young life which probably made it hard for her to trust other people.

Merlin walked over to her. “Hilda, would you mind helping me collect some firewood?”

With a slight shrug, she followed him away from the camp to pick up sticks and branches to build a fire. After a couple of minutes of collecting in silence, Merlin said, “Look, I know this isn’t exactly what you wanted—coming along with this group of knights—but we couldn’t leave you on your own. You’re too young.”

“We’ve done all right so far.” Her tone was obstinate.

“You’ve done amazingly well, Hilda. You’ve taken good care of your little brother. I can tell how hard you’ve worked to make things easy for him. How old are you, anyway? About twelve?” Merlin deliberately guessed older than he really thought she was, so she would know he believed her to be mature and responsible.

She looked away, trying to hide a proud smile. “I’m ten.”

“Only ten?” Merlin had guessed right. “You’ve done a great job.” He was actually very impressed that a ten year old and seven year old had been able to survive for so long on their own. “But wouldn’t your life be easier if you didn’t have to do everything all by yourselves? Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to look after you once in a while?”

Hilda shrugged, but didn’t say anything. They finished gathering firewood and headed back toward the camp. Merlin built a fire while Gwen prepared some of the food they had brought along into a stew. When Gwaine and Lancelot returned with two rabbits, Merlin cleaned them and added the meat to Gwen’s stew.

Supper was delicious. They ate all together, laughing and reminiscing about past quests. Henry and Teddy laughed along with the knights as they poked fun at one another, and Hilda listened intently. Merlin watched her taking in all the information. He somehow felt she was sizing them all up, and then he realised… She was planning to leave. Probably that night as they were sleeping, she would take her brother and go back into the forest. Back to living on their own.

After supper, Merlin and Gwen cleaned up and the others sat around chatting and laughing some more. Smaller conversations were starting to form. Leon, Percival and Elyan were sprawled on their mats talking about the latest tournament. Gwaine was joking with Lancelot about a recent visit to the tavern. Arthur was asking Henry more questions about the layout of his village. And Hilda and Teddy were huddled together on a mat, their heads leaned into each other, whispering so no one would overhear them.

When the clean-up was finished, Merlin quietly told each of the knights his suspicions about Hilda’s plans. Gwaine was taking the first watch, as he was the most difficult to wake after he had been sleeping for a while, and he promised Merlin that he would look out for any escape attempt by their young charges.

Merlin settled onto his own mat beside Arthur’s. He and Arthur had developed a habit on quests of visiting quietly for a while with one another before they went to sleep. Talking with Merlin seemed to help Arthur process the events of the day and decide on his strategies for the next day.

As Merlin sat down, he noticed that Arthur was staring across the fire, watching Gwen who had settled between her brother and Lancelot. At the moment, she and Lancelot were lying on their sides facing one another, engrossed in conversation. They both smiled often and their eyes seemed to light up as they watched the other talk.

“They seem really close.” Arthur’s voice was low, meant only for Merlin to hear.

“Yeah. They do.” Merlin contemplated Arthur’s face as Arthur watched Gwen laugh and brush her hand along Lancelot’s arm. “I’m sorry.”

But Arthur surprised him. “I’m not. Look how happy she is. And Lancelot, too.” His lips curled into a sad smile. “She can actually be with him.” He turned to look at Merlin, determination creeping onto his face. “She should be with him.”

“But don’t you still love her?” Merlin was confused. Not too long ago, Arthur had been willing to give up everything—his home, his father, even his position as crown prince—to be with Guinevere. What had changed?

Arthur’s eyes still looked sad, but his smile was growing broader. “Not the way I thought I did. I think she’s clever and brave, and I do consider her a friend. I want her to be happy.” He looked again to the opposite side of the fire. “And Lancelot makes her happy.”

Merlin was still worried. Had Arthur’s feelings for Gwen actually changed, or did he simply feel guilty making her wait for a relationship that might never be? Would seeing Gwen with Lancelot ever truly make Arthur happy?

Merlin knew only too well the pain of watching the one you cared for building a relationship with someone else.

Arthur lay down on his side but propped his head on his elbow facing Merlin. “Listen, tomorrow when we get to Bellmare, I want you to find someone to look after the children, so you won’t have to keep up with them. I’ll need you with me if we’re going to fight this thing.”

“What do you need me for? I thought I was useless!” Merlin smirked, knowing full well he was just asking for Arthur to tease him back.

“Mmm.” Arthur nodded solemnly. “Quite useless for most things, yes, but, you’ve read a lot of Gaius’s books, haven’t you? I mean, you recognised that Barghest earlier.”

Surprised that Arthur was actually serious about wanting his help, Merlin answered, “Yes. I’ve at least skimmed through most of Gaius’s books.”

“If this is a magical creature, perhaps you can provide some insight. The more we know about what we’re facing, the easier it will be to devise a strategy to defeat it.”

Merlin’s belly filled with warmth at Arthur’s words, and he found he couldn’t respond other than to hold Arthur’s gaze and try to express with his eyes how grateful he was for Arthur’s confidence in him and how he would do his best not to disappoint. After several long moments, Arthur smiled his appreciation and laid back on his mat. Merlin laid down as well, but he couldn’t settle. There was a fluttering in his stomach that he suspected had little to do with worrying about what they would face tomorrow in Bellmare.

Long after everyone was asleep and even Gwaine was starting to get droopy, Hilda kept fidgeting, so Merlin knew she was still awake. He watched, waiting for her to make her move. Finally, Hilda raised her head and stretched out her hand toward the woods. Merlin gasped. He knew that gesture well.

Suddenly branches started rustling in the forest beyond their camp. Gwaine immediately perked up and got to his feet to find out what was making the sound. Merlin, however kept his eyes on Hilda, heart racing as he finally understood the secret she had been hiding.

She quietly roused her brother and helped him up from the mat. The two children ran quietly the opposite direction from Gwaine, so Merlin got up to follow them. Gwaine glanced back and saw him, so Merlin motioned that he was taking care of it and Gwaine needn’t follow.

As Merlin walked after the children, he remembered what Hilda said earlier about how something happened in their old village that made their neighbours stop looking out for them, and she and Teddy had to leave. The villagers must have discovered her magic and been frightened.

No wonder Hilda kept insisting that she and her brother could look out for themselves. She was afraid to be around other people. Afraid of being discovered and punished for having magic. It broke Merlin’s heart that children had to feel like that for something that was in no way under their control.

Merlin let Hilda and Teddy get far enough away from the camp that no one would overhear them as they talked. When he felt they were at a safe distance, he trotted a bit to catch up. As he approached, he spoke in a low voice so he wouldn’t frighten them.

“You don’t have to leave, you know.”

The children whipped around, surprised. Hilda put a protective arm around her little brother and sighed her frustration when she realised Merlin was still preventing them from leaving.

“You don’t understand.” She shrugged helplessly.

  


_Should Merlin tell Hilda and Teddy about his magic to help convince them to stay?_    [**Go to Chapter 12.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746036)

 _Should Merlin keep his magic secret, but try to convince Hilda that he’ll keep her secret so she will stay?_    [**Go to Chapter 13.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746141)


	12. Chapter 12

Merlin gave her a sympathetic smile and stepped closer. “I do understand. More than anyone back there could, anyway. I saw you use magic to create a distraction.”

Hilda drew in a sharp breath, eyes wide with surprise, so Merlin reassured her quickly. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise. I don’t agree with the king that magic is evil. Yes, there are people who use magic to hurt others, but there are many who use their magic to help people.”

“But what about the prince?” Hilda asked in a small voice. “You can’t keep a secret from him, can you? You’re his servant.”

Merlin smiled, held out his hand and whispered, “ _Forbearnan_.”

When a small flame rose from his palm, both Hilda and Teddy’s mouths dropped open. They stared at the flame in silent wonder until Merlin spoke again and their eyes lifted to meet his.

“Trust me. I can keep secrets from Arthur.” He jerked his head back toward the camp. “Come on. Stay with us. Now that I know, I can help you keep your secret. I can even teach you some spells if you’d like.”

Hilda’s lower lip was trembling and tears started to spill from her eyes.

Merlin extinguished the flame and then reached out to put his hand on her shoulder. “Hilda? What’s wrong?”

She shook her head and let out a sob. “I’ve never met anyone else with magic before.” She shrugged and didn’t continue.

Merlin wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “I hadn’t either before I came to Camelot. My guardian, Gaius, helped me learn about magic. Without him, I don’t know what I would have done.”

He bent his head down to smile at her. “Let me help you, like Gaius helped me. Please, stay.” He held his arm out to guide them back to the camp. “You’ll be safe. I promise.”

Hilda looked down at her brother, and he nodded firmly, so she agreed to stay. Merlin was absolutely determined to look out for these two children. Their safety was now his responsibility. And he would not let them down.

******

The next morning, Arthur woke everyone at first light. “We need to get an early start if we plan to make it to Henry’s village with enough time to investigate and plan a strategy before dark.”

As they rode that morning, Merlin noticed that Arthur was becoming more and more tense, so after a while, he rode up next to him.

“We’re in good shape, Arthur. We should make it in plenty of time.”

Arthur turned and gave Merlin a sceptical half-smile. “I’m not worried about a lack of prep time.”

And now Merlin understood. “You’re worried about whether the prep time will do any good.”

“I know we’ve faced magical enemies before, and luck has been on our side, but we can’t keep depending on luck.” Arthur shook his head. “Whatever is causing the destruction in Henry’s village is powerful, and I don’t know enough about magic to feel prepared to fight it off. And if Morgana is involved…” Arthur looked down the road with a deep sigh.

Merlin’s heart clenched in his chest at the mention of Morgana, but right now, he couldn’t afford to wallow in guilt. Arthur needed his reassurance to build his confidence. “This doesn’t seem like something Morgana would do, Arthur. She’s after power. She wants the crown of Camelot. How would destroying some farmland on the outskirts of the kingdom help her accomplish that?”

“Because now I am far away from the castle, and I brought my best knights with me.” Merlin’s heart dropped at Arthur’s words. “She might have done this to lure me away from Camelot. She would know that if magic was involved, I would want to lead an investigative party myself. I’m concerned she might attack the citadel in my absence. Of course, it’s also possible she wanted to bring me out here to kill me, so she can take my place as heir to the throne.”

Arthur was making good points, and Merlin was disappointed that he hadn’t thought of these possibilities himself. Although, he was not brought up by Uther as both Arthur and Morgana had been, so Merlin wasn’t used to considering such devious strategies. It saddened him to see Arthur thinking this way, however. Arthur was usually so trusting of the people he cared for. It was at the same time a strength and a weakness, Merlin felt, but it was certainly one of Arthur’s more endearing qualities.

“Well, even if it is Morgana.” Merlin shrugged. “We’ve beaten her before. Who’s to say we can’t do it again?”

Arthur looked over at Merlin with a sympathetic smile. “We won’t know until we try?” He echoed the words Merlin had used to convince him to face Morgana the first time.

“Exactly.” Merlin couldn’t contain his grin, and he was pleased to see Arthur return it with small chuckle as he shook his head.

“I hope you never lose that, Merlin.”

Merlin’s eyebrows drew together in confusion.

“That foolish optimism of yours.” Arthur’s eyes were sparkling. “Your blind faith in me is somewhat reassuring.” And then Arthur seemed to realise that he had said too much, as if he had exposed some weakness in admitting what Merlin’s friendship meant to him. So he clicked his tongue and nudged his horse to ride ahead quickly.

Merlin’s smile slowly faded as he watched Arthur ride. He did have faith in Arthur, but he also knew that whatever they might face would require more than military strength and strategy. If they were indeed to face a magical foe, whether Morgana was involved or not, they would need magic to win. So Merlin had to be prepared to use his magic to defend Arthur and the others.

They took only one break that morning to water the horses, and as they drank, Arthur paced up and down the stream, working out some of his nervous energy. Merlin surveyed the group, noticing that everyone was showing similar signs of being on edge.

Gwaine chattered non-stop and didn’t seem to care that no one was listening. Lancelot had gone silent, sitting on a rock at the edge of the stream, deep in thought. Percival was using his sword to clear away the thick patches of weeds along the edge of the stream. Elyan and Leon were drawing battle plans in the dirt with sticks as Henry watched, occasionally chiming in with the locations of landmarks around his village that might help with their plans. Gwen asked Hilda to refill all the extra waterskins while she checked and double checked the food supplies.

Only little Teddy seemed immune to the tense mood of the group. He had picked up a stick and was pretending to have a swordfight with a silver birch sapling that was only slightly taller than he was.

“Take up your sword, you evil rap-skallon!” Teddy lunged forward, whacking the trunk of the tree with his stick. “If you want to take these people’s gold, you’ll have to fight me first!” He alternated between holding his make-believe sword in his right hand and in both hands. He spun around and around and thrust his sword at the tree from all angles. Every time he made contact with the tree’s bark, he shouted, “Gotcha!” Leaves were pouring down from the tiny sapling, and Teddy’s face was turning red with his effort, but he continued, unceasing in his valiant attempt to stop the nefarious birch tree from stealing gold from the people he protected.

After a few minutes of watching Teddy’s heroic efforts, Merlin glanced around at the others and noticed that Gwaine stopped his babbling and nudged Lancelot to draw his attention to the boy. Elyan, Leon and Henry had looked up from their battle plans and Percival had stilled. Even Gwen and Hilda had taken a break from their duties to watch the ongoing battle between boy and tree. Smiles were spreading across the knights’ faces as they exchanged amused glances with one another.

Merlin looked over at Arthur whose pacing had taken him several yards downstream, and sure enough, he had also frozen in place, eyes trained on the young boy, who fought on, calling warnings to his imaginary opponent, lost in the world he had created where he got to play the hero. Arthur’s eyes twinkled and his lips curled into a fond smile.

Merlin wondered whether Arthur had once had similar battles with trees or other inanimate objects as he imagined what it would be like someday to be king, leading his knights into battle. He wondered whether Arthur was feeling nostalgic about the days of his youth, when he was largely ignorant of the weight of his royal duties. When he believed that simply taking up his sword and bravely facing his enemies would lead to certain victory.

Arthur must have felt Merlin’s eyes on him, because he turned his head away from Teddy to look at Merlin. They held one another’s gaze for a few moments before Arthur smiled. The stress seemed to melt from his face as he quirked his head toward Teddy who was still engaged in his epic battle, completely oblivious to everyone’s attention. Arthur’s eyes seemed to be saying to Merlin, “That’s why I do it. That's why I face whatever enemy I must. So little children can be free to play. So those children can live in a world where the only foes they face are created from their own imaginations.”

And Merlin smiled his understanding. As Arthur’s attention returned to Teddy, Merlin’s heart warmed. He felt thankful that fate had given him the task of protecting this kind and caring man. This man who would face his greatest fears to protect his people. Not because he wanted the glory of victory or because he wanted to keep his kingdom stronger than all others, but because he truly cared about the individuals in his charge. He truly felt responsible for each life in Camelot, and he wanted the best for them. Whether they were noble or common. Male or female. Adult or child.

And, Merlin still held hope that one day, when Arthur was king, he would care for and protect all the people in his kingdom whether they had magic or not.

With a hearty bellow, Teddy reared back and dealt his opponent, the tree, a mighty blow, and then he threw down his “sword” and shouted, “And never come back!”

The knights burst into applause and crowded around the boy, clapping him on the back and congratulating him on his well-fought victory. Teddy’s ears burned red, but he was smiling at the attention from the knights he so admired.

Arthur walked over and wrapped one arm around Teddy’s shoulder. “A few more years and you’ll be ready to join the knights of Camelot, young man. Keep up the good work!”

Teddy beamed as Gwaine led him over to his horse and helped him mount. As they all started riding again, the mood was lighter. The knights were boasting about times they had each showed one another up in practice, and Henry and Teddy listened intently, laughing along with them. Merlin noticed the tension was gone from Arthur’s shoulders. He didn’t join in with the knights’ banter, but he rode with a more easy posture and smiled at their anecdotes now and then.

Even Hilda seemed to be opening up. She was chatting with Gwen as the two rode together. Perhaps seeing her brother having fun and the prince approving of his game had helped Hilda to feel more comfortable and safe with the group. Merlin hoped so. She would have an easier time controlling her magic if she was not tense and feeling stressed.

The remainder of the trip was comfortable and uneventful, so they were all feeling quite optimistic as they approached Henry’s village, but their easy mood shifted the moment the road led them out of the dense forest into what seemed at first to be a broad clearing. As they rode further, however, it became clear that the level landscape before them was not simply an unplanted field. Dozens of apple trees lay on the ground, trunks broken and branches pressed into the dirt.   
  
“This is where the destruction begins.” Henry’s voice sounded flat in the empty expanse.   
  
Gwaine gave a low whistle. “No army did this.”   
  
Arthur slid off his horse and walked out into the field. He picked up a branch and twirled it around, its crushed twigs and leaves dangling limply toward the ground. He continued farther into what was formerly a large orchard. When he turned, he met Merlin’s eyes and sighed in disappointment. The sight of the orchard confirmed their fears. “This was definitely caused by magic.”

Merlin nodded his agreement and noticed others were nodding slowly as well. Arthur returned to his horse and led the way across the orchard toward the village. No one spoke as they rode, each confronting his or her own fears about what type of force they might be facing that would have caused such destruction.

Beyond the field was a small grove of oak trees. As the group came out of the trees, they began seeing houses and buildings. Bellmare was a little larger than Ealdor. Merlin counted at least a dozen houses and there seemed to be a tavern, as well as a couple of small shops. As they approached the village, people who were outside stopped what they were doing and stared, wide-eyed at the prince and the group of knights.

“Henry!” A young boy’s voice called out. “Henry’s back! Father! Father! Henry’s back!” Merlin spotted the boy running into one of the shops and when he darted back out, he was followed by an older man who was dressed a bit nicer than the other men and women Merlin could see.

“What’s this?” The man seemed genuinely shocked to see the knights, but then Henry hopped down from his horse and trotted over to meet him.

“Josson!” Henry stopped in front of him. “I did what you asked. I went into Camelot to petition for help for our village. This is Prince Arthur.” He motioned back toward Arthur, who dismounted from his horse and started walking over to join Henry and Josson. “And these are some of his best knights. They’ve come to help us!”

“The prince?” Josson bowed slightly in deference to Arthur. “We are honoured that you have come personally to help our humble village, your highness.”

Arthur reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Call me Arthur, please. And tell me, have there been any more attacks since Henry left?”

“Every night.” Josson was sombre. “Although the most recent ones were a bit farther away from the village, so we hope the worst is over. Perhaps whoever has been doing this has decided to leave our little village alone. Perhaps they’re—”

“Moving on to another village?” Arthur supplied for Josson, who ducked his head, embarrassed. But Arthur put a hand on his shoulder. “I know you don’t wish this harm on anyone else. You just want your own people and their property to be safe. But even if the person or creature who has done this has decided to move on, we still need to stop them. We saw the apple orchard on our way in. Show me the rest of the destruction, including the most recent. Gwen, would you mind staying here to get the little ones settled? Merlin, tend to the horses, and then join us as soon as you can.”

Josson and Henry led Arthur and the others out of the village to the fields beyond, and Gwen immediately started a conversation with a woman who had been standing nearby, listening. Merlin found a farmer who provided him a place to tie the horses and plenty of water and hay for them. Then he went to check on Hilda and Teddy. He would join Arthur later, but he had promised Hilda he would help her with her magic, so before the village was in danger again that night, he thought he should teach her a few spells.

He ran into Gwen on his way back to the village centre, but Hilda and Teddy were no longer with her. “Where are the kids?” He asked. “Did you find a place for them already?”

“No.” Gwen laughed. “But the woman I talked to had kids of her own who are grown now, and she immediately felt for them, so she took them back to her house to feed them a proper hot meal.”

“I’d like to go check on them. Make sure they’re all right for now. Which house?”

She pointed to a house across the road. “It’s just over there. The woman’s name is Muriel. I think I’ll head over to the tavern. The knights will be hungry when they get back, so I want to see if this lot have enough food prepared. Otherwise, I’ll dip into our supplies and make something myself.”

“Good plan.” Merlin smiled as Gwen walked toward the tavern.

He turned and headed toward the house where the kids were eating lunch. He hoped he could get them away from the village for a little while so he could teach Hilda some spells. Or at the very least help her learn some techniques to control her magic.

When Merlin got to the house and knocked on the door, he discovered that Muriel was one of those overly protective motherly types, as she immediately started tutting about how thin Merlin was, and insisted that he also needed feeding and simply would not accept his protests to the contrary.

Hilda and Teddy grinned at him when Muriel pushed him into a chair at her table and began filling his plate with meat and potatoes. So reluctantly, Merlin ate the hot meal placed before him while Teddy kept up a constant stream of chatter about how he and his sister used to forage for food.

“And one time, Hilda saw a rabbit and she chased it right toward me, and I tried to catch it with my hands, but it was too fast and too squirmy, and I started chasing it, and I tripped on a root that was sticking up from the ground, and I fell right on top of the rabbit, and it kind of screamed, but I stayed on top of it until Hilda came and grabbed it and she snapped its neck, and she cooked it, and we had enough food for two whole days!”

Merlin exchanged an amused glance with Muriel as Teddy took a deep breath and started in on another story about a time when a wild hog roamed past and he and his sister tried unsuccessfully to kill it with a spear he had fashioned from a broken stick. Merlin was also relieved to see that the food seemed to have perked Hilda up a bit, too, as she occasionally chimed in to remind her brother of details he left out.

After they had eaten to Muriel’s satisfaction, Merlin said, “The children have heard Arthur and the knights talking about the destruction you’ve experienced, and I know they’re curious to see the damage.”

“Well, then you should head west toward the mountain. That’s the worst of it. That’s where it all started. And kids,” Muriel leaned down to talk to Hilda and Teddy face to face. “I know it looks frightening, but we’ve never had anything happen in the daylight. Whatever comes, it only comes at night, and it doesn’t touch the houses. So tonight, I want you both to stay here with me. My husband and my sons have been taking shifts keeping watch over our field. It’s one of the last still untouched. I would love to have some company tonight, and I want to provide a safe haven for you both.”

Teddy shrugged. “Okay.”

And Hilda smiled humbly. “Thank you. We appreciate your hospitality.”

Merlin thanked Muriel for the meal and then led the children out toward the west end of the village. As they walked, Teddy ran around them in circles, occasionally veering off to say hello to a villager, but mostly staying close to his sister.

Hilda looked up at Merlin. “We don’t really care about seeing the flat fields, you know. I’m sure we can find something to do if you want to go find Prince Arthur and the others.” She smiled. “I promise we won’t run off.”

Merlin smiled back at her. “I know you won’t.” Then he leaned down and lowered his voice. “I actually thought we could find a secluded place where I could teach you some spells and you can practise using your magic in a more controlled way.”

Hilda’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

With a nod, Merlin picked up the pace and led her and Teddy away from the village. “Come on!”

They kept walking until they had nearly reached the foot of the mountain that stood by the village. Merlin remembered what Henry had said back in Camelot. That the mountain had moved in the night and created the destruction. Looking up at it, Merlin didn’t see how that could be possible even with magic. But he put those thoughts aside for the moment, so he could focus on teaching Hilda to control her magic.

“Let’s start with a spell to light a fire.” Merlin knelt down and pulled together a small pile of sticks.

Hilda surprised him by mastering the fire spell quite quickly, so Merlin felt comfortable moving on to some telekinetic spells to move objects. As they worked, Teddy ran around finding interesting bugs on the rotting remains of vegetables that had grown in this field.

After they had been working for almost an hour, and Hilda had mastered more spells than Merlin expected but was starting to show signs of fatigue, Merlin decided they should probably head back to the village. Teddy had made his way to the opposite end of the field. He was standing oddly still, looking up at the mountain.

“That’s good for now, Hilda.” Merlin gave her a pat on the back. “You’ve done a great job. I’m actually quite impressed!”

Hilda grinned, looking pleased with herself, and they both started walking across the field toward Teddy. As they got closer, Merlin was surprised that the usually active boy had still not moved. He was staring up at the mountain, tilting his head back and forth and squinting.

“Teddy? What are you looking at?” Merlin called out as they approached.

“The giant.”

Merlin laughed out loud. He remembered when he was young, he and Will used to create all sorts of imaginary games to keep themselves entertained. “Oh yeah? What’s the giant doing?” He figured it wouldn’t hurt to humour the little boy.

“He’s sleeping. All curled up.” Teddy crouched down, wrapped his arms around his knees and tucked his head between them. “Like this.”

“Oh.” Merlin chuckled and started whispering. “Then maybe we should tiptoe so we don’t wake him up.”

He hunched over and started tiptoeing carefully up to Teddy, who giggled and started tiptoeing next to Merlin. Hilda snickered a bit and joined them in their overdramatic march on the tips of their toes back toward the village. The children kept breaking into uncontrolled laughter and then shushing each other loudly. Merlin kept up the game all the way back to the village, sometimes even joining the kids in their laughter. It felt good to laugh after the last couple of stressful days.

When they arrived in the village, Arthur and the knights had returned, and Arthur immediately summoned Merlin over to hear their plan for that night. Merlin told Hilda and Teddy to go back to Muriel’s house, and he promised to come by and check on them later.

Merlin trotted over to join the group crowded around the entrance of the tavern. Several of the townsfolk had joined Arthur and his knights, and Arthur was giving instructions to each person for that evening.

“Judging from the damage that occurred last night, I think we can expect more movement to the north tonight. At the base of the mountain, there were piles of rocks. We need to transport those to the northern edge of the damage zone and build up as much of a wall as we can.” Arthur turned to Josson. “Did I see some sandbags stacked outside a barn over there?” He pointed toward the western edge of the village.

“Yes.” Josson nodded. “When the rains get bad, we sometimes have flooding, so we keep a store of sandbags on hand.”

“Good.” Arthur motioned to Henry who was standing with several other teenaged boys on the edge of the group of knights and village men. “Henry, will you and your friends move those sandbags out to the field?”

Henry and the other boys leapt into action, and then Arthur continued, “We’ll need at least ten men stationed along the northern edge of the field that was flattened last night. Be ready for any sort of attack. And I want five men stationed at the southeast corner of the field. In case whatever this is tries to move back in the direction of the village, I’ll need those men to sound the warning and try to stop it.”

Merlin watched Arthur with concern. His strategy was sound were this a military incursion, but even Merlin could see that Arthur had little confidence in his plan for the night. They were facing an unseen force of extreme power, and while Arthur had been trained since childhood in military methods and strategies, he had not been trained to face a foe such as this. Uther’s strategy for facing magical enemies had always been to kill anyone suspected of sorcery. Without investigation. Without questioning. Without any attempt to learn about the magic those people possessed. So what hope did Arthur have now against this frightening, unknown enemy?

After Arthur finished giving orders to his men and the men of the village, he turned to Merlin. “Where have you been?”

“I was looking after Hilda and Teddy. A woman named Muriel kindly offered to feed and shelter them, but they were too restless to be cooped up in her house all afternoon, so I took them for a walk. They’re safely inside now, though, so what can I do?”

Arthur put Merlin to work helping the townsfolk move the rocks and sandbags to build a wall. Merlin knew that a short, makeshift wall would do little to stop an army and nothing to stop a magical force, and he supposed Arthur and the others knew that as well. All the same, it felt better to be active while they waited for nightfall.

After the wall was in place, Arthur’s crew ate a quick dinner at the tavern before ensuring that the children of the village as well as the elderly and most of the women were safely sheltered in their homes. Some of the women wanted to help with the fight. Arthur started to protest, but one look at Gwen’s raised eyebrows had shut him up. Merlin had almost laughed out loud at their silent exchange, but decided that wouldn’t be appropriate at the moment.

Arthur had placed Leon, Percival and Elyan at the north end of the field with the larger number of villagers. If the magic followed its pattern, that’s where the destruction would continue tonight. Gwaine and Lancelot were to lead the remaining villagers at the south end of the field in protecting the village. Gwen and Henry were placed there as well.

Once Merlin had run to Muriel’s house to make sure Hilda and Teddy were tucked away safely for the night, he found Arthur assisting with reinforcing the wall with smaller stones. Merlin dragged the heavy bag of stones for Arthur and subtly used his magic to add further protections to the sad little wall the villagers and knights had constructed.

After everyone was in place and Arthur was satisfied with the structure of their wall, he stood against it, sword in hand, and stared across the field. Merlin looked toward the mountain to the southwest. The sun had set, but there was still a slight glow in the sky. If these attacks always happened well after dark, they should have at least an hour before they could expect any action. So Merlin sat on the ground and leaned against the wall beside where Arthur stood.

He looked up at him. “You should rest for a bit.”

Arthur glared down, annoyed that his servant was insisting he take a break before a battle.

“Everyone is ready, Arthur, and it’s not quite dark yet. Sit down for a few minutes.” He patted the ground next to him. “While you have a chance.”

Heaving a deep sigh, Arthur gave in and sat beside Merlin, but he kept his sword in his hand. They sat in silence for several minutes, staring across the field. They could see some movement as the people stationed opposite them made their final preparations.

“So, I saw you talking with Gwen at dinner.” Merlin’s stomach was churning with nerves bringing this up, but he really wanted to know whether Gwen and Arthur had decided to give their relationship another chance. “You looked happy. Did you two work things out?”

Arthur stared ahead in silence for a moment and then a smile crept across his face. “We did.”

“Oh. Good.” Merlin cringed at how squeaky his voice sounded. He cleared his throat. “So she’s going to wait for you? Or are you finally going to tell your father?”

Shaking his head, Arthur chuckled. “No. I won’t be telling my father anything. There’s no way he would understand. He’s far too concerned about appearances and using my union with another to form a political alliance.”

Merlin sighed and then tried to hide it with a cough. “And you want to marry Gwen.” He couldn’t keep the disappointment from his voice.

“No,” Arthur turned to face him with a sly smile making his eyes twinkle. “I don’t think I’ll get married at all.”

“Because your father wouldn’t approve? You mean Gwen is willing to—” He held out his hands, hardly believing what Arthur seemed to be saying. “But surely after your father… I mean, once you’re king, you could marry whomever you wish.”

Arthur still had that odd smile on his face. “I told Gwen that she should be with Lancelot. I told her that seeing her happy would make me happy as well.”

“And will it?” Merlin tilted his head, looking at Arthur anxiously. “Will you really be happy giving up the woman you love and seeing her with one of your knights?”

“I told you, Merlin. I did love Gwen, but my feelings for her have changed. As hers for me have changed. She’s found something deeper and more…” He paused, a pensive smile curling half his lip. “She’s found true love with Lancelot.”

Merlin had felt disappointed when he thought Arthur and Gwen were getting back together, but now he didn’t feel the relief he expected at finding out they were finished once and for all. Even though Arthur seemed fine with his decision, Merlin knew how good Arthur was at bottling up his emotions, so he worried that once Gwen and Lancelot started a new relationship, seeing the two of them together would send Arthur into a depression.

His face must have shown his worries, because Arthur bumped his shoulder against Merlin’s. “Cheer up, Merlin. I’ll be fine. I promise. I freed Gwen to pursue another relationship, but I also freed myself in the process.”

“Freed yourself?” Merlin laughed out loud. “You got somebody else lined up already, Arthur?”

To that, Arthur gave an enigmatic smile and turned his head back to look across the field. Merlin stared at the side of his face, stomach full of butterflies, wondering what Arthur meant by that mysterious smile. He sometimes wondered whether Arthur felt the same about him as he felt about Arthur. Merlin felt certain that Arthur considered him a friend, and there were rare moments when Merlin noticed Arthur staring at him almost as if he were attracted to him. But other times, he treated Merlin as nothing more than a servant, and Merlin was certain he had imagined anything else.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the wall behind him. He needed to stop thinking about Arthur that way. He knew that even if Arthur did have some of the same feelings, nothing would ever come of it.

“Hey,” Arthur nudged his shoulder again, and Merlin opened his eyes to find Arthur’s eyes on him again. “You did a good job today with those children. Bringing them here was the right thing to do.”

“I hope so.” After their practise session that afternoon, Merlin felt a little more confident that Hilda would be able to hide her magic and find a safe home in the village, but he also knew how easy it was to slip and use magic when you were feeling angry or threatened. As much as Muriel and the other villagers had taken to Hilda and Teddy, there was no way to tell how they might react if they found out about Hilda’s magic.

“They couldn’t keep living in the forest on their own.” Arthur shrugged. “And maybe that woman… Muriel?” Merlin nodded. “Maybe she’ll be willing to take them in permanently.”

Merlin couldn’t help smiling at Arthur’s hopeful optimism. “Maybe.”

“Sure.” Arthur returned his smile. “I know they’re strong kids and very independent to have lived on their own for so long, but every kid wants a home, don’t they? Teddy seems to like you. He looks at you like you hung the moon in the sky!”

Ducking his head to hide his blush and embarrassed grin, Merlin chuckled. “He’s a good kid. He’s got such a big imagination!”

“I noticed!” Arthur laughed, and Merlin was so pleased to hear that sound. “Like this morning when he turned that tree into a bandit. And then beat the living daylights out of it!”

They both laughed at the memory, and Merlin said, “And this afternoon, he was looking at that mountain, and he decided… it was…”

Strange. Merlin stood suddenly and looked more carefully at the mountain in the distance beyond the field. He hadn’t taken a close look at it before, but now, even though he was looking at the mountain from a different angle than Teddy had been this afternoon, he could almost see the shape Teddy had seen. The legs curled up. The arms wrapped around. And the head…

“What is it, Merlin?” Arthur had also stood and was wielding his sword, staring in the same direction as Merlin.

Merlin felt certain now. The mountain wasn’t actually a mountain. It was a giant. Merlin turned to look at Arthur, eyes wide with fright. “What was it Henry said? Back in Camelot? The mountain moved.”

Arthur squinted at Merlin, glanced toward the mountain and then looked back again. “Merlin? What are you on about?”

  


_Should Merlin explain his suspicions to Arthur?_    [**Go to Chapter 14.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746333)

 _Should Merlin keep his suspicions from Arthur and investigate on his own?_    [**Go to Chapter 15.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746384)


	13. Chapter 13

“I do understand.” Merlin moved closer and lowered his voice. “I saw you… back there. I saw you use magic.”

Hilda drew in a sharp breath, eyes wide with surprise, so Merlin reassured her quickly. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise. I don’t agree with the king that magic is evil. I know some people use magic to hurt others, but I also believe there are many who use their magic to protect themselves and their families and in many other harmless ways.”

“But what about the prince?” Hilda asked in a small voice. “You can’t keep a secret from him, can you? You’re his servant.”

Merlin smiled, trying not to give too much away in his eyes as he did. “Trust me. I can keep secrets from Arthur.” He jerked his head back toward the camp. “Come on. Stay with us. Now that I know, I can help you keep your secret. Although I’m almost certain that if Arthur did find out you have magic, he wouldn’t punish you. You’re a child. And he’s really not a monster.” Merlin chuckled. “In spite of his occasional grumpiness.”

He held his arm out to guide the children back toward the camp. “You’ll be safe. I promise.”

Teddy looked up at his sister, and the two siblings seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes. Merlin felt more than ever that the safety of these children was his responsibility. He was relieved when Hilda sighed and she and her brother started walking hand in hand back to the camp. As they approached, Gwaine looked at Merlin, eyebrows raised, so Merlin gave a sharp nod, letting him know that the children would stay put now. They settled back onto their mat, and Merlin kept an eye on them long after they had both settled into the deep breathing of sleep.

The next morning, Arthur woke everyone at first light. “We need to get an early start if we plan to make it to Henry’s village with enough time to plan a strategy before dark.”

The knights prepared their horses, and Arthur caught another rabbit for their breakfast while Merlin and Gwen cleaned up the camp. Merlin watched Hilda out of the corner of his eye and tried to think of a way to convince her to trust him. He smiled as he thought of an idea, but he needed to get everyone else out of the way first, so he strolled amongst the horses, giving Gwaine’s horse, Melfed, a little pat on the rump.

“Merlin!” Arthur shouted. “You haven’t even started a fire yet? Leon’s almost finished cleaning the rabbit. How exactly do you expect us to cook it?” Arthur was always a bit cranky before he had his breakfast.

Gwen had been rolling up the knights’ sleep mats, but she jumped up immediately. “I can help you with the fire, Merlin.”

“Actually, Henry is having some trouble saddling his horse. He’s still riding Melfed, and you know she’s temperamental. But you’ve always had a way with her, so would you mind helping him out? Hilda can help me with the fire.”

With a little chuckle, Gwen nodded and walked over to where Henry was struggling with his saddle. Merlin felt a little guilty. He had cast a spell to put Melfed slightly on edge to have this excuse. He would remove the spell before they rode, but for now, he wanted a few minutes alone with Hilda.

The knights and Arthur were still busy loading their own horses and going over a map, plotting the best route for today’s journey, so he should have enough time before Arthur gave in to his grumbling stomach and completely lost his patience.

“Hilda!” Merlin jerked his head toward the fire pit that was still smouldering slightly from the night before. “Come here. I’d like you to try something.”

Teddy ran over and beat his sister to the pit. “I can do it!” He grabbed a small stick and a flat piece of bark. “I’m good at starting fires. Aren’t I, Hilda?”

Hilda smiled at her little brother. “Yeah, you are.”

But Merlin put a hand on Teddy’s shoulder. “I’m sure you are, buddy, but this time, I want your sister to try.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “With magic.”

“What?” Hilda shook her head, backing away. “But I don’t know how. I mean, I’ve done it before, but it was an accident, and I don’t know how I did it.” She looked genuinely frightened, so her brother stood and took her hand. “Besides, the prince is standing right over there. If he saw me, he’d have me killed.”

Merlin placed himself between Hilda and the others and spoke in a low reassuring voice. “Don’t worry. I’ll block their view. Arthur won’t see a thing. And I believe you can do it. I think I know the spell for starting a fire.”

“How?” Hilda’s voice was small, still frightened, but she also could not hide her curiosity.

“One time when we raided a druid camp, I heard a couple of them shout a word when they tried to block our path with fire.” Merlin needed a way to tell Hilda the spell without exposing his own magic, so this little story would have to do.

“I think the word they said was _Forbearnan_.” Merlin felt his magic tingle beneath his skin as he spoke the word, even though he had no intention of casting the spell himself. It was as if his magic recognised the mere word and wanted to spring out and create a fire. He deliberately pushed the magic away, though, subduing it for the time being.

Hilda glanced around nervously toward Arthur and the others before she dared repeating the word. “ _Forbearnan_.” She spoke barely above a whisper.

“That’s it.” Merlin grinned at her. “Why don’t you try it?” He moved toward the fire pit, where he had already stacked new firewood and kindling on top of the smouldering embers. He squatted down on the side of the pit toward the knights, so he would block their view of Hilda. “Come on. Come close here and give it a try.”

She still seemed hesitant, but Teddy gave her an excited, “Come on, Hilda! You can do it. I know you can.”

So she approached the fire pit and knelt in the dirt before it. She looked down at the pile of wood and said flatly, “ _Forbearnan_.”

Nothing happened, and she looked up at Merlin, disappointed. “It’s not going to work. I don’t even know what to do.”

With an indulgent smile, Merlin explained carefully. “Well, I saw the druids hold out one hand when they cast the spell. Maybe they just sort of push their magic out of their hand. Can you feel the magic inside you? Maybe it wants to come out and help, and you have to give it a nudge.”

Hilda laughed in disbelief, but she did look thoughtful, as if what Merlin said made some sort of sense. Of course, Merlin already knew that what he said made sense, because that’s how his magic felt to him. It was always vibrating beneath the surface of his skin, itching to leap out and help with any situation. Once he realised that, it made controlling it much simpler.

Looking down at the fire pit, Hilda held out one hand. She concentrated hard on the pile of sticks and leaves. Merlin could see that she really wanted this to work. After several moments of intense focus, she spoke clearly, _"Forbearnan!"_ And fire leapt from the sticks, dancing to life.

Teddy gave a whoop. “You did it!”

Unfortunately, his celebration got the knights’ attention, and Gwaine called out, “What happened?”

So Merlin turned around. “The wood was a little damp, and I was having trouble starting the fire, but Hilda got it going.”

“Excellent!” Arthur walked over to join them and clapped Hilda on the back. “Well done, Hilda. I’m glad you’re here. If we had to depend on Merlin, we’d all have starved this morning.”

Merlin wasn’t even bothered by Arthur’s insult, however, because Hilda was beaming, so proud of her successful first attempt at mastering a spell. And Merlin felt ridiculously pleased that he was able to help her learn some magic without telling her that he had magic, too.

As they rode that morning, Merlin wondered whether the strategy he was using to help Hilda would have worked at all with Morgana. If he could have simply been supportive and encouraged her to learn more about magic without actually exposing his own magic, perhaps everything would have been different. Merlin pondered the different choices he could have made that might have prevented Morgana from being drawn to Morgause. He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Arthur ride up beside him and start speaking.

“… taken to them, haven’t you?”

“Hmm? Taken what?” Merlin said, making Arthur roll his eyes affectionately.

“I said that you’ve really taken to those two children.”

Merlin shrugged with a smile. “They’re good kids.”

“I said that, too.” Arthur raised his eyebrows pointedly.

“Sorry.” Merlin shook his head in apology. “I was thinking about what we’ll find when we get to Bellmare.”

With a deep sigh, Arthur nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. I just hope it hasn’t gotten worse since Henry left. And I hope there is something we can do to help.”

How many princes showed such concern for the people of a small village on the outskirts of their kingdom? Merlin felt certain the number would not be large.

“If nothing else, I think your presence there will give the people hope, Arthur.”

Almost to himself, then, Arthur said, “But will that be enough?”

They rode in silence until mid-morning when Arthur declared that they needed to stop and water the horses. They found a small stream just off the path, and Arthur pointed out that he had hoped they’d be farther along in their journey by this point in the day. He glared at Merlin as he said this, as if Merlin was responsible for delaying their start that morning, but Merlin didn’t let it bother him, because he could tell Arthur was getting nervous. As soon as they stopped, he started pacing up and down the stream.

The knights led their horses to the stream to drink and Gwen and Hilda refilled waterskins. Teddy picked up a stick and started slashing at some weeds. Merlin tended to both his horse and Arthur’s, but before he got them to the water, Teddy screamed.

Bandits emerged from the woods beyond the shallow stream, charging at the group with their swords drawn and voices raised. The knights were caught off guard, and in the seconds it took them to draw their weapons and prepare to fight, the bandits had already surrounded Gwen and Hilda.

One particularly rough looking man grabbed Gwen around the middle and held a knife to her throat, and another man with a heavy beard snatched Hilda straight from the edge of the water, lifting her and carrying her to the opposite side of the stream.

Teddy cried out, shouting his sister’s name in terror, and Arthur and several of the knights started to run toward the bandits, but the man holding Gwen shouted, “Come any closer and I’ll slit your wench’s throat.”

Gwen was struggling and doing her best to get away, kicking backward at the man’s shins and jerking her elbow to hit him in the gut. Merlin watched carefully, noticing that occasionally her jabs struck and seemed to distract the bandit momentarily. Not long enough for one of the knights to get to him before he hurt Gwen, but maybe long enough for Merlin to use magic to get the knife out of his hand.

“Men, empty their bags!” The man who was holding Gwen seemed to be the leader of the group, as the other men sprang into action at his command. They pulled the saddle bags from the horses and started dumping the contents on the ground, looking for valuables.

Arthur stood, helpless, as the bandits rummaged through their belongings, taking anything they thought would be worth selling. He was frozen in place, as the leader held his knife so tightly against Gwen’s throat that it was starting to draw blood. Merlin considered heating the knife so the bandit would drop it, but the blade was pressed against Gwen’s neck, and the hot metal would burn her skin. Also, any spell to cause the man pain might make him slice Gwen’s throat involuntarily.

The man who held Hilda called out, “We should take the women and children with us. We could use a few slaves around our camp.” His cold, ruthless laugh sent chills through Merlin, and he decided this had gone on long enough. He would have to take action, and if his magic was exposed, so be it.

As he surveyed the entire scene, taking note of everyone’s position, so he could ensure the safety of his companions while he took down the bandits, Merlin made eye contact with Hilda. And his heart leapt into his throat. The bandit held her tightly, but she was not struggling anymore. Her face had hardened into a look of sheer determination. And Merlin just knew. She was going to use magic.

Before he could stop her or take control of the situation himself, Hilda leaned forward and screamed at the top of her lungs. Suddenly, everyone was thrown to the ground. Bandits and knights alike were hurled toward the earth as the force of Hilda’s magical outburst struck them.

Hilda alone remained standing. She raised one hand and yelled, _"Forbearnan!"_ And fire seemed to burst from the ground in front of the bandit leader who had been holding Gwen. In the confusion, Arthur leapt into action and pulled Gwen to safety, before he spun and held his sword to the bandit’s chest, keeping him trapped on the forest floor.

Meanwhile, Lancelot had pulled Teddy into his arms and Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Leon had drawn their swords on the remaining bandits before they were able to scramble away. Even Henry was holding out a dagger toward one of the bandits who was still lying on the ground.

“Hilda?” Arthur called to the terrified girl who still held her now shaking hand out before her. “Come on back to this side of the stream. It’s okay. I promise no one will hurt you.”

Then he motioned backward with one hand. “Merlin, help her across, please.”

So Merlin stepped into the stream and held his hands out to help Hilda cross the water. She was shaking hard and having trouble keeping her footing as she stepped across the slippery stones in the water. Her face was white as a sheet.

As soon as they reached the dry earth on their side of the stream, Merlin drew Hilda close and wrapped both arms around her. Her shaking slowly began to subside as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms that were shivering and covered in goose pimples. He ducked his head and quietly told her, “That was very brave.”

He felt her sob against his chest and he pulled her close, hoping she felt safe and hoping she knew that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her or her brother. Merlin wasn’t certain what Arthur was thinking. He glanced over, but Arthur was kneeling on the ground beside Gwen, gently touching her throat and making sure she was okay. He knew that Arthur would not put to death a child who had only used magic to rescue them, but Merlin couldn’t be sure that Arthur wouldn’t feel the need to banish the children or send them to prison.

After Hilda had calmed down a bit, she looked up at Merlin with watery, red eyes. “What will the prince do to me?” She sounded so frightened that Merlin’s throat constricted, and he had to take a few breaths before he could speak.

“I’m not sure, Hilda.” The fear that shone through her eyes was almost too much for Merlin to stand. “I won’t let him hurt you. I don’t think he will. Arthur’s a good man, really. He saw what you did, and he will recognise the sacrifice you made, showing your magic like that to help Gwen. I don’t think he’ll want anything bad to happen to you.”

Just then, Teddy and Lancelot came up to them, and Teddy touched his sister’s arm gently. “Are you okay, Hilda?” His voice was so sweet and so full of concern that Merlin’s breath caught again.

Hilda pulled away from Merlin and wrapped her arms around her little brother. “I’m okay.”

“Are you scared?”

Merlin barely heard Teddy’s tiny whisper, but Hilda nodded against the top of his head. “Yeah. A little.” She whispered her answer, as well.

Lancelot pulled Merlin away from the frightened siblings. “Did you know?” He murmured so no one else would hear.

Merlin gave a slight nod of affirmation, but offered no further explanation.

“What do you think Arthur will do?” Lancelot kept his voice low.

Merlin could only shrug. He wondered what was taking Arthur so long. Gwen seemed fine, but he was still kneeling beside her. Merlin could not tell if they were talking or not. For several more long minutes, they all waited, Hilda and Teddy clinging to each other and not looking at Arthur, while everyone else’s eyes did not leave the prince.

But finally, Arthur stood and walked slowly over to Hilda and Teddy. They let go of one another and looked up at Arthur, dread written clearly across their little faces. “Thank you for what you did, Hilda. I think you saved Gwen’s life. And you certainly prevented these bandits from robbing us.” He gave her a smile, and she breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“I think you know the laws about the use of magic in Camelot.” Hilda nodded cautiously, and Arthur continued. “Magic is forbidden. I appreciate your help here, but you will need to learn to control your magic. It is not to be used except in cases of extreme emergency. Can you do that, Hilda? Can you keep from using your magic unless it is absolutely necessary?”

Again, Hilda nodded her agreement. Clearly, Arthur did not want to punish this little girl for using her magic to help others, but Merlin could tell he felt guilty breaking the law. His father’s law. So he had apparently decided that as long as he could get Hilda to promise never to use magic again, he would feel able to let her go without the usual punishment.

“Well then.” Arthur gave a firm nod and stepped away from Hilda and Teddy. “That settles it. You may continue on with us, as long as you keep your promise. And thank you for your help, Hilda.”

He turned away and immediately started barking instructions for the knights to contain the bandits they were holding. They bound them with ropes that Elyan retrieved from the ground where they were strewn after the bandits had dumped out their saddle bags.

The leader of the group was glaring at Arthur, clearly plotting revenge, and Leon asked, “Are we just going to leave them here?”

Arthur looked thoughtful for a few moments before reaching a decision. “We’ll march them blindfolded out into the wilderness and separate them for now. I’m sure they’ll be resourceful enough to unbind themselves and find one another again, but by then we’ll be long gone.”

The knights made arrangements to lead the bandits into the forest in different directions.

“Merlin, Gwen, stay here with Henry and the kids.” Arthur took the bandit leader himself.

Seeing Arthur and the knights leading the bandits off in different directions made Merlin nervous, but at this point he was more concerned with making certain Hilda was okay. Hilda had pulled her brother aside and the two of them appeared to be arguing which surprised Merlin, because he had always seen them looking out for each other and getting along.

After Arthur and the knights left with their charges, Teddy shouted, “No! I don’t want to!” and stomped away from his sister and plunked himself down at the edge of the stream.

Merlin motioned to Gwen to go talk to him, and he went to talk to Hilda who had stormed off in the opposite direction. He found her leaning against a tree with tears streaming down her face. “What’s the matter?” He asked, gently.

She sighed. “I can’t do what the prince wants. I can’t give up my magic completely. Sometimes I can’t even help doing it. And when you taught me that spell to light a fire, I felt so... happy. Like that’s what I’m supposed to do.”

Merlin understood completely. He always felt the same. That magic was so much a part of him that he couldn’t deny it. He couldn’t simply push it aside. His magic wanted to be used. He leaned down to catch Hilda’s eye. “What were you and your brother arguing about?”

She looked up, hesitant. “I think we should leave. If the prince is going to make me not use my magic, I just want to go. We could live on our own again. We’ve done it before.”

Merlin should have expected this, but somehow he hadn’t, and he found himself feeling disappointed that Hilda wanted to leave. He certainly understood that she didn’t feel like she could permanently suppress her magic, but he had gotten used to having these children around, and he had grown fond of them.

“But you won’t be under Arthur’s care forever. He’s going to try to find a home for you when we get to Bellmare. And once you’re there, you might find some folks who have a more open attitude about magic than Arthur.”

Hilda shook her head. “Or we might not. We might find people who are afraid of me and kick me out just like our neighbours did at home when they found out about my magic.”

Merlin had no good response to that, because of course, Hilda was right. While there were a few non-magical people who were open to the positive aspects of magic, the majority of people, in Camelot at least, shared Uther’s extreme fear of all things magical, and even without the king or the prince’s direct influence, people were far more likely to banish or even execute those with magic than they were to accept someone—even a child—who had magical abilities.

“Stay with us a while longer, Hilda. Please,” Merlin said. “Perhaps we could find some druids to take you in.”

Hilda looked sceptical. “Aren’t the druids pretty secretive? How would we find them?”

Merlin opened his mouth to tell her that he had ways of finding druids, but he closed it again, still unsure whether he should tell her about his magic. He began to wonder whether Hilda and Teddy might actually be better off living on their own.

Gwen had calmed Teddy and the two of them were skipping stones on the stream, although the water was a bit too shallow and mostly the stones they threw were bouncing off the larger stones covering the streambed, which made Teddy dissolve into giggles every time. Henry was laughing along with Teddy and Gwen and wading along the edge of the stream fishing out more rocks for Teddy to pelt at the stones in the water.

Hilda walked over to her brother, took his hand and shook her head sadly. Teddy wrinkled his nose in frustration and stomped his little foot, and Hilda responded by putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head firmly. So Teddy’s shoulders slumped in resignation and he nodded reluctantly. Hilda wrapped her arms around her little brother, and Merlin was surprised to see Teddy return her hug.

“What was that all about?” Gwen came up beside Merlin.

“They’re going back out on their own.”

“What?” Gwen was clearly surprised. “No! They can’t do that. We can’t let them go.” She started toward Hilda and Teddy.

Merlin reached out and touched Gwen’s arm to stop her. “I think we have to.”

“But Arthur said it would be fine. He’ll protect her.”

“Only if she promises never to use magic again,” Merlin pointed out.

“I know.” Gwen sounded frustrated. “She agreed, though. She said she’d stop.”

With a shrug, Merlin explained, “She was afraid he’d kill her on the spot. She didn’t think she had a choice in that moment. But now she says she can’t give up her magic. It’s too much a part of her.”

“But—“ Gwen started to protest, but Merlin cut her off.

“I don’t think we should stop her, Gwen.” He looked over at where Hilda and Teddy had resumed tossing stones into the water, albeit with much less laughter than before. “I think I understand.” Merlin told Gwen. “We’d be asking her not to be herself. To fundamentally change who she is.”

“I guess.” Gwen sighed. “Well, we can’t send them away empty-handed. We should at least give them some food to take with them.”

So Merlin and Gwen packed a bundle for Hilda and Teddy full of food and a couple of blankets. While Gwen was occupied preparing their pack, Merlin pulled Hilda aside and told her about a few more spells he had “overheard at the druid camp.” She hugged him gratefully and then after sweet goodbyes to Gwen and Henry, Hilda and Teddy took off in a different direction than any of the knights had gone.

When Arthur returned, he yelled at Merlin for letting the kids go, but Gwen managed to convince him not to go after them. They continued on their way, arriving at Henry’s village late in the afternoon. That night, they waited in the fields for the magical force that was causing the destruction to show itself. Near midnight, they saw what Henry meant when he said the mountain moved. The steep hill beside the village seemed to rise up, becoming a massive shadowy figure that was nearly impossible to fight.

The knights and villagers chased the shadow across the fields, working through the night to protect Bellmare’s crops and orchards. Each time the shadow tried to return, they slashed at it with their swords, forcing it to retreat even farther. Sometimes the shadow bellowed in pain, and Merlin thought it almost sounded human, but he couldn’t let whatever it was continue its pattern of destruction.

Finally, when the sun began to rise, the shadow stopped moving. It seemed to fold itself in two in the middle of a field and suddenly changed back into a mountain before their eyes.

The group from Camelot stayed in Bellmare for several more days, but the mountain did not come to life again. It remained in its new location, and the people of Bellmare felt safe once more. They were even pleased, because they had a new field, already cleared for sowing, where the mountain once stood.

Satisfied with the result of the quest, Arthur led the knights home, but Merlin often found himself wondering about Hilda and Teddy and hoping they were safe and happy, wherever they were.

**The End**

_If you would like to give Merlin another chance, return to the end of the previous chapter and make a different choice!_    [**Return to Chapter 11.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17743783#end)


	14. Chapter 14

“I know what’s causing all this destruction.” Merlin’s heart was racing as the realization dawned on him.

“What?” Arthur grabbed his arm and forced him to look at him. “What is it?”

It all made sense now, in a strange sort of way. The flattened trees and fields. The shadow covering the moon. The sky wailing. “Look at the shape of that mountain. Earlier today, Teddy said he thought it looked like a giant, curled up and sleeping.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but turned to examine the mountain himself.

“I think he was right.” Merlin explained. “I think it’s a giant that only wakes up at night to… hunt? I don’t know. It’s causing the destruction, but maybe not on purpose. Maybe it doesn’t even realise what it’s doing.”

“You’ve lost it, Merlin.” Arthur shook his head, but his voice sounded hesitant. “That’s impossible.”

“Is it?” Merlin asked, waving his hand to indicate the demolished field before them. “Think about it, Arthur. It makes sense, doesn’t it? What else could cause this? What else could smash trees flat to the ground?”

Looking back at the mountain, Arthur swallowed hard. “But if that mountain wakes up and walks around on two legs, how could no one have seen it? They’ve had sentries posted in the fields around here every night since this all started. How could they have missed a giant walking across the land?”

Merlin pursed his lips as he pondered Arthur’s question. That was a good point. How could a giant have walked around every night for the last week and a half completely unseen? He thought again about what Henry had said back in Camelot about what he and the other two witnesses had seen.

Merlin looked up and pointed to the moon. “Last week when Henry and the other sentries made their reports, the moon was new, so the night would be quite dark.”

Arthur nodded thoughtfully, as if he, too, was remembering what Henry had told them.

Merlin continued. “Henry said one of the guards saw a shadow pass over the land that made the stars disappear. So perhaps the giant was blocking any light from the sky. He heard trees being broken around him, so I imagine he was frightened and maybe not thinking clearly.”

With a shrug, Arthur said, “I guess a farmer who had never been trained for battle might not be prepared to make careful observations under such conditions.” He looked at Merlin, sceptical again. “But since Henry left to come ask for our help, they have had sentries posted every night. Surely their initial fears would fade. And the moon is waxing, so the sky should be getting brighter every night.”

But Merlin shook his head. “It’s been cloudy the last few nights, and maybe the sentries weren’t stationed in the giant’s direct path, so they couldn’t get a good look at it.”

And Arthur shrugged a bit, conceding that Merlin had a point. He narrowed his eyes, looking thoughtful again. “What about the other witness who said something about rain?”

“He said rain fell from a cloudless sky and the raindrops stung his eyes and blurred his vision.” Merlin reminded Arthur. “And he also said the sky was wailing.”

Merlin’s heart sank as he realised what must have happened that night, and his hand reached involuntarily for Arthur’s arm. “That wasn’t rain.”

Arthur’s eyes sought Merlin’s in horror as he seemed to reach the same conclusion.

“You mean?” Arthur seemed hesitant to speak the words. “The giant… was crying?”

Both Merlin and Arthur turned once again to face the mountain, although Merlin could no longer make out its exact shape as the night grew darker. If the giant had been crying that night, perhaps it really didn’t mean the people of Henry’s village any harm. Perhaps it was confused and frightened.

Merlin wondered how they might be able to reach some compromise between the giant and the villagers. If the villagers could somehow provide food for the giant, maybe it wouldn’t need to trample their fields in search of the sustenance it needed. Or, if providing for the giant wasn’t possible, maybe the villagers could leave a path clear for the giant to seek its food farther away from their farms. Merlin turned to Arthur, ready to propose some of these thoughts and find out whether Arthur had any better ideas.

But when he saw Arthur’s face, Merlin stopped. Arthur’s features had hardened into his pre-battle mood of determination.

“If that really is a giant, this wall isn’t big enough to do any good. We’re sitting ducks out here.” He sheathed his sword and started walking briskly down the wall toward where Elyan and Percival were stationed. “We’re going to need some very long ropes.”

“Ropes?” Merlin trotted to catch up with Arthur. “What do we need ropes for?”

Without slowing down, Arthur explained, “Our swords will be useless against a giant. We might be able to prick its toe or slit its ankle, but I doubt that will do more than anger it. But if we can tie a rope between some trees, we might be able to trip the giant. And if it falls, we can reach some areas where we might be able to do some damage.”

Before Merlin could protest that they should try peaceful negotiation with the giant first, they reached Elyan and Percival, and Arthur started explaining Merlin’s theory that the mountain beyond the field was actually a giant that awoke every night and trampled the fields. To their credit, the knights took the news well and immediately started strategizing with Arthur about the best way to defeat the giant.

Percival and Elyan took off to inform Leon and the other villagers at the north end of the field of this new information, and Arthur started running southward toward Lancelot and Gwaine.

Merlin didn’t have another chance to talk with Arthur alone until they had retrieved all the ropes from the village, and Arthur was trying to climb a tree to tie off one end of a rope while Gwaine and Percival tied the other end to a tree ten yards away.

“Arthur?” Merlin called out as Arthur tucked the end of the rope into his belt so he could use both hands for climbing. “Don’t you think we ought to try talking to the giant first?”

With a grunt, Arthur swung one leg over a branch and pulled himself upright to reach for a higher branch. “Don’t be an idiot, Merlin! We’re not trying to make friends with the giant. We’re trying to stop it from destroying all the remaining farmland and driving Henry and the others from their village.”

“Exactly!” Merlin moved around to the other side of the tree, as Arthur’s ascent took him twisting round the trunk away from Merlin. “We might be able to work out a deal with the giant, so it can have what it needs without continuing to harm the fields the villagers need to support themselves.”

“You can’t negotiate with magical creatures, Merlin.” Arthur had reached a spot high enough and planted himself on a branch, legs straddling the tree trunk for balance, while he wrapped the rope twice around the trunk and tied it off. “They don’t have the intellectual skills that humans do.”

After Arthur tied the rope securely, he began descending the tree. Merlin knew he would regret this, but he felt the need to point something out. “Have you forgotten that a troll had the intellectual skills to fool the entire castle, marry your father and have herself declared queen?”

Arthur skipped the last few branches and leapt to the ground directly in front of Merlin. He held a finger up in warning, but his eyes were dancing, and he was having trouble keeping a smile from his face. “I thought we agreed never to mention that incident again, _Mer_ lin.”

“Right.” Merlin rolled his eyes. “I must have forgotten.”

When Arthur turned and started walking over to help Gwaine and Percival with their end of the rope, Merlin followed him, unwilling to give up just yet. “My point is that magical creatures can be as intelligent as humans, and I think it’s worth trying to talk with the giant before we anger it by trying to hurt it.”

Arthur paused for a moment and faced Merlin. “Look, I appreciate what you’re saying, but we can’t know for certain that talking to the giant would work. And if it doesn’t, we will have lost the element of surprise. The only way our trip wires will work is if the giant isn’t expecting them.” Arthur clapped his hand on Merlin’s back. “You’re a servant, Merlin, not a soldier. You don’t have the strategic training to understand a situation like this.”

And with a firm nod, Arthur turned and continued toward Gwaine and Percival. He was clearly in battle mode and had forgotten that just last night, he told Merlin he valued his input about magical creatures. Merlin knew he wouldn’t be able to talk Arthur out of this strategy, so he might was well be ready to make sure Arthur’s plan worked. Otherwise, they would be dealing with a very angry giant.

It was nearing midnight, which was the time the destruction usually started, according to Josson. Four trip wires had been placed between trees along the path the giant had taken the last few nights. Knights and villagers were stationed along the way, ready to attack the giant should it fall. Merlin stayed near Arthur’s side, ready to use his magic to prevent the giant from hurting anyone, especially Arthur.

Arthur watched the mountain. The moonlight lit his determined face, and Merlin felt his frustration with Arthur melting away. He looked quite beautiful, standing stoic and strong, ready to face any danger to protect the people of his kingdom. Arthur probably knew if they weren’t able to kill the giant quickly, none of them would have much chance of surviving the night. But he maintained a strong, confident exterior for the sake of the men who followed him, no matter how frightened he might feel inside.

As Merlin watched Arthur, he felt his magic tingle under his skin, jumping to the surface almost as if it was being woken up. “It’s coming.” He said.

“What’s coming?” Arthur asked.

“The giant.”

“How do you know?” Arthur tensed up and looked around.

“I…” Merlin hesitated, unsure how to answer. “I thought I heard something.”

“Are you sure?” Arthur’s eyes were trained toward the mountain, but Merlin knew he still couldn’t really see the shape of it in the dark.

“Yes,” Merlin said. “I’m certain.”

They both stood silently, staring in the direction of the mountain, and then Merlin heard Arthur gasp. “I see it.” He whispered.

Merlin looked closely, and he thought he could see it, too. A shift in the darkness of the night sky. Then Merlin felt the ground vibrate beneath him, and he and Arthur exchanged a frightened look. The vibrations continued, getting stronger each moment, and soon they could hear the vegetation on the ground crunching, as if it were being crushed beneath giant feet.

As it approached ever closer, Merlin could sense its presence, but he still couldn’t see anything. Just shadows moving slightly. It didn’t make sense. Surely by this point he would be able to see a giant that large. The night was dark, but not pitch dark.

But then Merlin realised their mistake. Why no one had recognised the giant before. It wasn’t just because they were frightened and the nights were dark. The giant was actually hidden by shadows, a magical glamour designed to obscure its appearance. Being unable to see the giant clearly would certainly hinder their ability to fight it, so Merlin racked his brain for any spells he might know that could remove a glamour.

“Do you see it?” Arthur whispered. “All I see are shadows.” He was taking hesitant steps forward as he tried to locate the giant.

Merlin had thought of a couple of spells he might try, but he didn’t think they would work unless spoken out loud. Could he risk Arthur hearing him? He might have to. They would need to see the giant in order to protect the village and themselves.

As the sound of the giant’s movements became louder and closer, and the shadows loomed large overhead, Merlin desperately tried sending his magic outward, thinking the spells in his mind to remove the glamour, but nothing worked. He had to act fast.

  


_Should Merlin risk Arthur hearing him and speak the spell to remove the glamour?_    [**Go to Chapter 18.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746480)

 _Should Merlin do something to distract Arthur before using the spell?_    [**Go to Chapter 19.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17747182)


	15. Chapter 15

Merlin’s heart raced as the realization dawned on him. He knew what was causing all of this destruction. It all made sense now, in a strange sort of way. The flattened trees and fields. The shadow covering the moon. The sky wailing.

Looking at the shape of the mountain, Merlin remembered what Teddy had said earlier that day. He said the mountain looked like a giant, curled up and sleeping. What if Teddy was right? What if the mountain actually was a giant that woke up at night and stalked around looking for food or water or… who knew? Companionship, even. Perhaps the giant was causing all the destruction, but it wasn’t doing it on purpose. Perhaps it didn’t even realise what it was doing.

“What?” Arthur grabbed his arm and forced him to look at him. “What is it?”

“Nothing.” Merlin gave Arthur a flat smile. “I was thinking about a game Teddy was playing this afternoon, and that reminded me that we left something of his—his dagger—out where he was playing. I better go find it and return it to him, because if he realises it’s gone, he might try to sneak out of Muriel’s house to go get it.” Merlin started walking briskly across the field, but he turned and called to Arthur, “I’ll be right back!”

Merlin ran to the opposite end of the field where Lancelot and Gwaine saw him approaching and jogged out to meet him.

“What’s wrong, Merlin?” Gwaine called to him.

“Did Arthur send you?” Lancelot sounded concerned and his eyes were darting between Merlin and the field, squinting to make out shapes in the darkening night.

“No, everything’s ready on the north end. Arthur’s fine.” Merlin kept walking briskly in the direction of the village as he spoke. “I just remembered something I need to give to Teddy. I’ll be right back. Don’t worry!”

He smiled as he passed Gwen, leaning against a tree with Lancelot’s spare sword in her hand. She looked ready to face anything. She smiled back at him but didn’t say anything as he trotted past.

Merlin kept up the pretence of heading toward the village until he was out of sight of the knights and villagers guarding the south end of the field. Then he doubled back and started running as fast as he could toward the mountain. He didn’t stop running until he reached its base, and then he started walking around it, trying to get an idea of its circumference. The villagers called it a mountain, but it was more of a hill, really. A lone hill in the middle of flat fields.

The more he thought about it, the more certain Merlin became that this mountain really was a giant that would come to life after dark. Judging by the shape, Merlin guessed he was circling the giant’s rear end, and its feet were pointing in the direction of the field where Arthur and the others waited.

Merlin had no idea how to fight a giant, but he wondered whether someone else might have, at some point in history, discovered a way to defeat one. He wished he had access to the library in Camelot right now. Or, at the very least, some of Gaius’s reference books. Although he could think of someone else who might have knowledge about defeating a giant.

As Merlin continued walking around the base of the mountain, he realised that from where he stood, the mountain completely blocked his view of the field where Arthur and the others were stationed. He looked up toward the sky. If he were to summon Kilgharrah to ask for advice on fighting a giant, would the others notice a dragon flying in?

  


_Should Merlin summon the dragon to ask for help?_    [**Go to Chapter 16.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746423)

 _Should Merlin figure out a solution on his own rather than risk the others spotting Kilgharrah?_    [**Go to Chapter 17.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746441)


	16. Chapter 16

“A giant?”  Kilgharrah looked past Merlin toward the mountain.  “The ancient texts speak of a man with the height of a cedar and the strength of an oak.  However those beings were not native to the land of Albion and have long since been destroyed.  If you have encountered a true giant, young warlock, you might be the first in many centuries to do so.”

Merlin stared up at Kilgharrah, waiting for him to say something else.  After a moment of silence, Merlin held his hands out.  “That’s it?  How were the giants beaten before?”

“That was long before my time on this earth, Merlin.  How would I know the best way to defeat a giant?”  Kilgharrah stretched out his wings.  “I wish you luck in your endeavour.”  And with that, Kilgharrah sprung up from the ground and flew away.

“Thank you so much!”  Merlin called after him fruitlessly.  “You were a big help, as always!”

Grumbling under his breath, Merlin stalked back to the base of the mountain.  What made him think asking Kilgharrah would do any good?  Merlin occasionally found the dragon helpful, but he was just as likely to be cryptic and unhelpful as he was to provide any useful assistance.

Well, that was a waste of time.

[ **Proceed to Chapter 17.** ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746441)


	17. Chapter 17

The thought occurred to Merlin that he might be able to talk to the giant and let it know that it was destroying the villagers’ crops. If the giant understood, it might be willing to change its actions and tread more carefully. The only problem was Merlin could not figure out how he might talk to the giant. From the size of the mountain, he figured the giant itself was at least one-hundred feet tall. There was no way it would be able to hear Merlin speaking to it from the ground, even if he was shouting.

If he could climb up and place himself on the giant’s shoulder before it awoke, he would have a better shot at being heard. He thought he could tell where the shoulder might be, so he started to climb.

The hill was steep, but Merlin finally reached a spot near the top that he felt almost certain was the shoulder of the giant. So he sat on the ground to wait. He wasn’t sure what would happen when the giant awoke. Would the ground beneath him magically transform into skin? Would he be able to hold on? He would have to wait and see.

Finally, Merlin began to feel vibrations in the ground beneath him. They started small—just a slight rumbling. But soon the whole mountain began to shake. Merlin got onto his hands and knees and spread his weight as best he could for balance. He felt himself rising into the air as the giant began to stand. But then, the mountain seemed to disappear. Well, not disappear, exactly, more like it completely went dark. Merlin felt like he was crouching on a massive shadow.

A glamour! Of course! Whatever magic protected the giant during the day by transforming it into a harmless looking mountain must also protect it at night by cloaking it in shadows. That also explained why the villagers hadn’t seen the giant before.

Unfortunately, since the giant was hidden by darkness, Merlin could not see where exactly on the giant’s body he was sitting. And as the giant continued to stand and stretch out, the surface beneath Merlin began to tilt. He started to slide down a hillside that was becoming steeper and steeper and was quickly approaching vertical. He must not have been on the giant’s shoulder after all. The giant must have propped its arms up on its knees, creating a flat surface which Merlin mistook for the shoulder.

As the giant let its arm fall to its side, Merlin tried desperately to grip onto the giant’s sleeve or skin or whatever was beneath him, but he found himself slipping. He could not hold on, and he was tumbling head over heels down the giant’s arm. Before he could stop himself, he began to fall, plummeting rapidly toward the ground dozens of feet beneath him.

At the last moment, Merlin came to his senses and used his magic to slow his fall, but he still hit the ground harder than he intended, and his head knocked against the hard dirt, making stars swirl before his eyes. He tried to sit up, but the world began to spin around him, and he found himself slumping back down as everything went black.

When Merlin awoke, he was lying in bed in a house he didn’t recognise. He started to sit up, but his head spun and he felt woozy again.

“Oh! You’re awake!” Was that Muriel’s voice? “My lord? He’s awake!” And then the voice came closer and Merlin was able to see through his hazy vision that it was Muriel. She sat down beside the bed and put a hand on his arm. “You mustn’t try to get up too quickly. You hit your head pretty hard, and you’ve been out for at least eight hours.”

Eight hours? Merlin tensed, but Muriel’s hand tightened around his arm, preventing him from trying to sit up. He was about to ask her about the events of the previous night when he saw Arthur walk up behind her. Muriel moved to allow Arthur to take her place by Merlin’s side. She slipped quietly from the room as Arthur sat down, wrapping his hand around Merlin’s forearm.

“You really are completely useless, aren’t you, Merlin?” Arthur’s words were teasing, but his eyes were full of tenderness. He raised his hand to run it through Merlin’s hair. “Good thing you’ve such hard head. Muriel was afraid you’d never wake up.”

“Arthur? What happened?” The last thing Merlin remembered was falling from… “The giant!” He tried to sit up again, but Arthur held him down. “What happened with the giant?”

”Oh, you knew it was a giant, did you?” Arthur narrowed his eyes. “I did wonder why it took you so long to retrieve Teddy’s dagger.”

Merlin backtracked. “No, I didn’t know. I mean, I figured it out when I went to get the dagger. I thought I could talk to the giant. Ask it to stop destroying the fields.”

Arthur shook his head in disbelief. “Only you would attempt a peaceful negotiation with a giant, Merlin.”

“It might have worked.” Merlin gave a small shrug. “But I got knocked out. What happened? Did you kill it?”

His voice sounded small and sad, and he was certain Arthur would tease him again for empathising with a magical creature, but Arthur sighed and gave his arm a squeeze. “We had to, Merlin. We didn’t know it was a giant until after it fell. We were fighting a shadow that was destroying the village’s lands. It wasn’t until he was already dying that the shadow fell away, and we saw his true form.”

Merlin nodded his understanding. He could tell Arthur felt bad now about killing the giant.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help.” Merlin smiled at Arthur. “I tried.”

Arthur returned his smile. “Next time, don’t go off and try to be a hero all on your own.” He brushed a finger down Merlin’s cheek but then stood quickly and cleared his throat. “After all, if you’d been killed, who would clean my chambers and launder my clothes?”

Arthur wasn’t usually so tactile in conversation, and all his fond touches were giving Merlin a heady courage to push past the boundaries of their usual banter. “You can just admit it, Arthur. You need me desperately.”

Merlin smirked, quite comfortable with his teasing ruse until Arthur’s expression sobered and he leaned down, bringing his face close to Merlin’s. “I do need you desperately, Merlin.” His lips were almost brushing Merlin’s ear, and Merlin’s heart rate picked up speed. He could feel Arthur’s breath on his cheek and his neck before Arthur whispered, “To prepare my horse for the journey home.”

Arthur gave a self-satisfied grin as he turned and walked out the door, but Merlin was happy for Arthur to feel he won this round. After all, they still had a two day ride back to Camelot. He had plenty of time to plan his next move.

**The End**

_If you would like to give Merlin another chance to help the giant, return to the end of the previous chapter and make a different choice!_    [**Return to Chapter 15.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746384#end)

_ (Or if you already tried asking the useless dragon, [**return to Chapter 12.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746036#end)) _


	18. Chapter 18

With no time to lose, Merlin threw out his hand and spoke the words of the spell. _"Ádée se nihthelm!"_

Arthur whipped his head around just in time to see Merlin’s eyes light up with magic. As Merlin dropped his hand, Arthur’s nostrils flared and his jaw clenched, but before he had a chance to express his anger, Merlin hissed, “Look out!”

They both returned their focus to the giant. The spell had worked, and now they could easily see that bounding toward them was a man at least a hundred feet tall. He was looking straight ahead, so clearly he hadn’t spotted them. Arthur grabbed Merlin’s arm and pulled him away, out of the giant’s path. They stumbled a bit and Arthur fell to the ground, pulling Merlin down on top of him.

“Oof!” Merlin couldn’t help letting out a loud grunt as the wind was knocked out of him. The giant turned his head slightly in their direction, so Arthur pressed his hand over Merlin’s mouth and held them both still, one arm wrapped tightly around Merlin’s middle.

The giant continued past them without stopping, and Arthur exhaled in relief, but kept his arm around Merlin, preventing him from moving. The first tripwire was just ahead of the giant, and they waited in place as he took a step toward it. He raised his right foot a bit too soon, though, and stepped down exactly on top of the rope, pulling both trees down toward each other until their trunks snapped. The giant continued on his path without even noticing.

“No.” Arthur cursed under his breath as the giant ambled away toward the next tripwire, where Percival and Leon were stationed. He scrambled to his feet and then reached a hand down to help Merlin up. “Come on. We have to go help in case he trips on the next one.”

They started running after the giant, and Merlin wondered whether Arthur had actually noticed his magic. Perhaps he didn’t see Merlin’s eyes glow. Or perhaps he believed he misunderstood what he saw. Although, Merlin decided, the more likely scenario was that Arthur did see but deemed dealing with the situation at hand more urgent than confronting Merlin about using magic.

Arthur ran full speed until they were right behind the giant. Then he slowed and veered to the right, so they would be out of the way if the giant did fall. Merlin saw Leon standing nearby with his sword at the ready, and he presumed Percival was on the opposite end of the tripwire, also ready to attack.

Merlin held his breath as the giant placed his left foot down directly in front of the rope. His right foot rose into the air and swung toward the tripwire. For a moment, it looked like it would miss the rope entirely, but then his toe caught on the rope, causing him to pitch forward.

As he tried to regain his balance, his feet got tangled in the rope, and with a mighty bellow, the giant began to fall. But he was toppling to the right, directly toward Merlin and Arthur and Leon. Without even thinking, Merlin threw up both hands and slowed the giant’s fall, redirecting him to land straight ahead and giving others time to get out of his way as he fell. The ground seemed to shake as the giant’s enormous body hit the earth, and then Merlin heard shouts from all around as the knights and the villagers ran toward the fallen giant, slashing at its skin with their swords and their daggers.

But Leon and Arthur were not moving. When Merlin looked back at them, Leon was standing stock still, staring at Merlin in shock. But Arthur was glaring at him again, jaw set and eyes narrowed. “Well?” He threw one hand out to point toward the giant who was starting to thrash about dangerously. “Do something before anyone gets hurt.” He raised his eyebrows half in challenge and half in impatience.

So Merlin raised his arm and called out a stunning spell. He wasn’t certain it would be powerful enough to stun such a large being, but his adrenaline must have helped add power to the spell he cast, because as soon as the words were out of his mouth, the giant froze in place.

The knights and villagers continued their attack for a few moments before they realised the giant was no longer moving. Then they pulled back slowly, looking at one another in confusion. Leon was still staring at Merlin, mouth agape, a bit of fear beginning to show through his shock.

“It can’t get up now?” Arthur glared at Merlin.

“No. He's stunned. He won’t be able to move until I release him.” Merlin wasn’t sure what to expect, looking at Arthur. He looked so angry.

“Leon,” Without taking his eyes off Merlin, Arthur addressed his first knight. “Gather the others and find out if anyone is hurt.” Then Arthur grabbed Merlin by the sleeve and pulled him halfway across the field.

Once they were well out of earshot of the others, Arthur spun Merlin to face him. He looked him straight in the eye and ground out, “You’re a sorcerer.”

Merlin sighed. “Yes.”

“How long have you been using magic?” Arthur asked, his teeth still ground together.

“All my life.” Merlin held out his hands in surrender. “I was born with it.”

Arthur jerked his head back in shock. He was clearly not expecting to hear that. “Born with it? I’ve never heard of anyone born with magic.”

“Well,” Merlin laughed but then sobered immediately at Arthur’s still stern face. “I’m rather unique.” Merlin didn’t mean to brag. He was simply trying to be honest with his friend.

“What you just did… stunning the giant. That didn’t look like any magic I’ve seen before.” Arthur’s voice was suddenly low and dangerous. “Does that mean your magic is more powerful than most?”

“It is.” Merlin wanted to be as honest as he could with Arthur now. He felt he had to be in order to make up for years of dishonesty.

Arthur’s anger flared. “So what was your goal in coming to Camelot? Were you trying to get close to the crown? Weasel your way into the court? Is it your goal to overthrow my father and take control of Camelot?”

Merlin sighed. He could hardly blame Arthur for jumping to such dramatic conclusions. His entire life, he had watched his father fight against all forms of sorcery.

“No, Arthur. My only goals are to serve and protect you.” Merlin tried taking a step closer to Arthur, and when he didn’t back away, Merlin moved closer still. He lowered his voice and spoke from the heart. “It’s my destiny. My magic exists for you, Arthur. Everything I do is for you.”

“Even lying to me?” Arthur’s pain broke Merlin’s heart. “I thought you were my friend.”

Tears stung Merlin’s eyes and a few spilled down his cheeks. “I am your friend, Arthur. I care more about you than I do myself. I would do anything for you. I risk my life every day by staying in Camelot to protect you.”

Arthur simply stared at him for several long moments. Merlin didn’t know what else he could say to convince Arthur that he was not out to harm him in any way, so he remained silent, tears still wet on his face.

When Arthur spoke again, his expression softened a bit. “You’ve done this kind of thing before? Used your magic to protect me?” Arthur’s eyes suddenly looked unfocused as if he were deep in thought, trying to think of times Merlin might have saved him.

“Yes.” Merlin stepped closer. “I told you it’s my destiny to protect you, and that’s what I’ve always tried to do.”

“So all the times it seemed like luck was on our side… like that Barghest a couple of days ago… that was you? Using magic right under my nose?” Arthur asked, and Merlin nodded. “Destiny sent you to protect me from every little beast in the forest? Does fate have so little faith in me?”

Now Merlin sighed. It always came down to a lack of confidence with Arthur. He put on a good show, and his men never wavered in their faith in his leadership, but underneath, he lacked confidence in his own abilities. And Merlin knew Uther was to blame for Arthur feeling this way.

“No Arthur, you are far from incompetent. You are destined to become the greatest king the world has ever known, and any great king is bound to have enemies. Though you are quite capable of dealing with enemies, both in battle and with strategy and diplomacy, some of your enemies will use magic against you. Is it not right that you have the tools to fight against them as well? Because that’s what magic is, Arthur. It’s a tool. Like a hammer or an axe.” He paused and smiled slightly. “Or a sword.”

Arthur smiled for a moment, and Merlin hoped his words were getting through to him, but the pain of betrayal quickly returned to Arthur’s eyes. “You could have told me.”

“I wanted to.” Tears stung Merlin’s eyes once more. “I was afraid. All of your life, your father has told you that magic is evil.”

“Because he has seen how magic corrupts people.” Arthur echoed Uther’s words. “Even good and loyal people.” Arthur’s brow furrowed in confusion and pain.

Merlin lowered his voice. “I know Morgana hurt you, Arthur. But I am not Morgana. I don’t want any power or position other than to serve you.”

“Because that’s your destiny?” Arthur gave a resigned sigh. “How can you know what destiny has planned?”

“Well,” Merlin wasn’t sure Arthur was ready to hear about his conversations with the Great Dragon, so he smiled and leaned forward in an attempt to infuse the situation with intrigue. “Apparently you and I factor heavily in several ancient prophecies.”

“There’s prophecies about us? You and me?”

“It’s like I said, Arthur. You are destined to be the greatest king in the world, and I am destined to be the greatest sorcerer. We sort of go hand in hand.” Merlin shrugged. “The Once and Future King and Emrys.”

“Emrys?”

“That’s the druids’ name for me.”

Arthur shook his head in disbelief. “This is absurd. How can you be some great sorcerer from ancient prophecies when all this time you’ve been making my bed and bringing my breakfast?”

Merlin chuckled. “Well, I did once use magic to clean your armour.”

Arthur heaved a deep sigh and looked at Merlin. “You’ve been breaking the law. I should sentence you to death.”

Merlin’s heart leapt into his throat, but Arthur said. “I won’t, though.” He gave a sad smile. “At the very least, I should banish you, but I don’t think I can do that, either.”

Hope rose in Merlin’s chest. “No?” He couldn’t keep the smile from curling his lips.

Arthur shrugged. “If it’s your destiny to protect me, it wouldn’t do any good anyway. You’d probably just keep following me around like a lost puppy.”

“Well, you know… you can’t escape destiny.” Merlin smirked. “It’s my duty to be stuck with you forever.”

Merlin meant his words as a gentle tease, because he knew Arthur understood having a destiny, but Arthur’s eyes closed and his shoulders slumped, and suddenly, Merlin understood.

“Arthur, you know by now that it’s not just destiny that makes me want to protect you and stay by your side.” Arthur’s eyes raised to meet Merlin’s again, and Merlin smiled. “I can see what a wonderful king you’ll be. How good you’ll be for the people of Camelot.”

Arthur scoffed, embarrassed but obviously pleased by Merlin’s compliment, and Merlin continued. “But even more than that… you’re my friend.” Merlin shrugged. “I rather enjoy looking out for you.”

Merlin looked hopefully at Arthur, whose gaze had dropped toward his feet which were taking turns kicking at tufts of grass. Merlin waited patiently, and then finally Arthur looked back up at him and smirked.

“So basically what you’re telling me is that one way or another, you can’t live without me. Is that it?”

Arthur was trying to mock Merlin, but he also looked rather pleased, so Merlin laughed. “Pretty much. I could live without washing your socks, but I guess liking you means liking every bit of you. Stinky feet and all.”

Merlin’s heart raced in his chest as he realised he had exposed more of his feelings for Arthur than he had intended to. He watched Arthur’s face carefully for any indication that Arthur might be annoyed or disgusted by Merlin’s little admission, but he was relieved to find only fondness shining in Arthur’s eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief and returned Arthur’s tender smile.

“It’s going to take some time for me to get used to the idea that my clumsy manservant is actually a powerful sorcerer, but,” Arthur shrugged and rolled his eyes. “I guess I’ll have to. It seems I couldn’t get rid of you, even if I wanted to.” And then Arthur sobered, and he sort of chuckled to himself before quietly admitting, “But I don’t want to.”

Merlin nodded his agreement and suddenly, he wanted to reach for Arthur’s hand. Just to feel a connection. A reassuring touch. But before he had a chance, Arthur coughed, turned away and changed the subject.

“So what should we do with the giant? We can’t leave it stunned in the middle of the field until it rots.”

Scrunching his face in disgust, Merlin looked, confused at Arthur. “We’re not going to let him die. For all we know, he didn’t actually mean any harm.”

“So what do you propose we do? Just talk to it? Ask it nicely to please stop walking all over the crops?” Arthur had switched back into mocking mode.

Merlin pulled Arthur around to look at the giant-- really look at him, lying on his side with a pained expression on his face. “Arthur, what do you see?” He hoped Arthur would be able to see past his father’s prejudices and see the giant, lying on the ground looking peaceful and completely human except for his size. “Do you see a creature? Do you see an enemy?”

He felt Arthur take a deep breath next to him, probably ready to point out again the damage the giant had done, so Merlin plunged ahead without giving Arthur a chance to speak.

“Or do you see a man? Yes, a very large man, but a man nevertheless. A man who just wants to live his life. To find food, to find water. Perhaps to find others like him?” Merlin paused for a moment and Arthur remained silent, so he took that as a good sign and kept going. “Can we just talk to him? Can we explain why we attacked him and stunned him? And can we ask him why he has been destroying the fields and the orchards? Maybe we can come to a resolution that will work for both the giant and the villagers.”

Merlin finally finished and turned to look at Arthur, watching his face as he looked over at the giant lying frozen on the ground. He knew Arthur had a good heart, and he hoped he would be able to admit that his plan to attack the giant without giving him a chance to speak for himself might have been a bit hasty.

Arthur closed his eyes and sighed. “Is this what destiny intended when it put us together? Did destiny believe I needed a seemingly harmless, but actually more dangerous than anything in the world, sorcerer to convince me that magical creatures are to be pitied and helped rather than outright destroyed?”

Throat clenching at Arthur’s words, Merlin looked down. Arthur still didn’t believe that Merlin would never hurt him. “I’m not dangerous, Arthur. I promise I would never do anything to hurt you.”

With another small chuckle, Arthur explained, “That’s not what I meant. You’re dangerous, because you can talk me into anything. Because I trust you. Maybe I shouldn’t.” He gave a half shrug. “But I do.”

Heart swelling, Merlin simply said, “Arthur,” before his voice caught in his throat and he couldn’t say anything else to let Arthur know how much it meant to him to know that he still trusted Merlin.

“Okay,” Arthur didn’t seem to be as affected by his confession as Merlin was. “We’ll do things your way. Can you unfreeze the giant so we can talk to it?” And then to Merlin’s delight, he immediately corrected himself. “To him, I mean.”

With a wide smile, Merlin nodded and started walking toward the giant, but Arthur caught his hand and gave it a firm squeeze before letting go and following Merlin to re-join the others who were standing around the stunned giant.

As Merlin and Arthur approached, Gwaine was the first to speak up. “What happened? We saw the giant trip, but then it seemed to slow down and then while we were attacking it, it froze. What’s going on?”

Arthur glanced over toward Leon. “You didn’t tell them?”

And Leon shook his head. “No, sire. I wasn’t certain whether you wanted me to or not.”

“Tell us what?” Elyan walked over and stood next to Gwaine who was now frowning at Leon with his arms folded across his chest. Lancelot caught Merlin’s eye and raised his eyebrows in question. Merlin gave a slight nod to let him know that Arthur finally knew the truth, and Lancelot smiled. Gwen watched their exchange with confusion.

Percival joined Gwaine as well, although he didn’t look angry like Gwaine, or confused like Elyan. He looked more analytical. Like he was trying to figure out what had happened and why secrets were being kept all of a sudden. “When the giant first came toward us, it was cloaked in darkness. And then it wasn’t. And then it was going to fall on people, but then it didn’t. It started to fight back, but then it just stopped.” He looked carefully back and forth between Arthur and Merlin. “It was almost like… magic.”

So Arthur nodded slowly. “That’s because it was magic.” 

Merlin saw Percival narrow his eyes at him. He was definitely putting the pieces together. But Gwaine and Elyan still looked surprised, and Gwaine grilled Arthur. “What magic? Where did it come from?” He turned his head back and forth, surveying the men standing around them who had been helping to fight the giant.

“Merlin.” Arthur said simply. “It was Merlin.”

Suddenly Merlin felt his ears burning as all eyes turned to him. Gwaine and Elyan’s mouths actually dropped open in shock.

“Merlin?” Gwaine’s eyes cut back and forth as if he couldn’t seem to decide whether he was asking Merlin or Arthur for confirmation of this surprising news.

Merlin nodded hesitantly, but Arthur spoke up for him. “Yes. It seems our Merlin is quite a powerful sorcerer who has been assigned by the fates to protect me. To keep me safe and to enable me to take my place as king.” And then without even cracking a smile, Arthur continued, “And to polish my boots and to wash my socks.”

The rest of the knights were not quite as amused, however, and it took Arthur pulling them and Gwen aside and talking to them out of Merlin’s earshot for them to come around. After their conversation, Leon kept giving Merlin polite, supportive glances, as if he wanted Merlin to know that he was okay with his having magic. Elyan and Percival sort of avoided Merlin’s eyes. It might take a while to convince them that he was still the same Merlin. Gwen walked up to him without a word and hugged him tightly.

But Gwaine outright glared at him. Merlin knew Gwaine’s problem wasn’t that Merlin had magic. He was upset that Merlin had kept it from him. But Merlin also knew that a night in the tavern sharing drinks and conversation would solve things between them. He had faith that he and Gwaine would remain good friends.

“So,” Arthur sidled over to Merlin after his conversation with the knights. “Lancelot wasn’t a bit surprised by the news that you are a sorcerer. Care to share why?”

Merlin thought he detected a hint of jealousy in Arthur’s tone, so he quickly reassured him. “I didn’t tell him, Arthur. He saw me using magic to charm his lance so he could defeat the Griffin the first time he came to Camelot.”

Arthur looked at Merlin, hurt. “He’s known all this time?”

Merlin looked back at him, wishing he could explain that, although it helped having a friend know his secret and he was actually glad Lancelot had found out, if he was going to open up and share his magic with anyone, it would have been Arthur. He would have loved for the man he cared for more than anyone to know the whole truth about him. But he had already explained to Arthur that fear had prevented him from sharing his secret, so he simply shrugged and very sincerely said, “I’m sorry.”

But thankfully, Arthur seemed to understand. “Well, at least I know now.” His lip curled in a half-smile. “I’m still not quite sure what to do with you when we get back to Camelot, but I’m glad I know.” He nodded toward the giant. “Let’s get to work, then. You release the giant from the spell, and I’ll be ready to talk to him.”

When Merlin gave him a worried look, Arthur rolled his eyes. “I’ll be nice. I promise.”

They stood directly in front of the frozen giant’s face, and Merlin spoke the counter spell to release the giant from his temporary paralysis. The giant’s eyes immediately went wide, and he put a hand out in an attempt to push himself up from the ground, but Arthur called out to him.

“Wait! Please, be still.” Arthur, who was already holding his sword flat on his hands before him in a gesture of goodwill, leaned down and placed the sword on the ground before him and then took two steps back to emphasise his commitment to peace and to working out a compromise.

The giant tilted his head up to look at Arthur, but he didn’t speak. Merlin started to wonder if he actually could speak or even understand what Arthur was saying. If they couldn’t converse, that would make Merlin’s plan of coming to a compromise quite difficult.

“I’m very sorry that we trapped you. We didn’t know who or what you were. We only knew of the destruction you’ve been causing to the fields and orchards of the people who live here, and we felt we had to protect their crops. My name is Arthur Pendragon, and I’m the Crown Prince of this land, Camelot.” Arthur bowed his head as he introduced himself.

And then finally, the giant spoke. His voice was softer than Merlin expected. “My name is Kreksag. And I didn’t mean to destroy anyone’s food. The last time I woke up, no one lived near here.”

Arthur looked up, somewhat taken aback by the giant’s forthright answer. “I’m pleased to meet you Kreksag. And I’m glad to know you didn’t mean any harm. Again, I would like to offer my sincere apology for the way we have treated you.”

Merlin was impressed at how quickly Arthur had accepted that Kreksag was a being worth his respect. Kreksag must have sensed as well that Arthur was being genuine, because he gave a slight nod, seeming to accept Arthur’s apology.

“You said the last time you woke up, no one lived around here. What do you mean? When was the last time you woke up?” Arthur asked.

With a deep sigh, Kreksag answered. “A century ago.”

Arthur furrowed his brow in confusion. “A century? How is that possible? How old are you?”

“Well,” Kreksag raised an arm to prop his head up. “I’m not exactly sure how old I am. I was twenty-six years old when I was cursed, but that must have been at least five centuries ago, because this is the fifth time I have woken up from my cursed sleep.”

Arthur glanced at Merlin with a questioning look, hoping he could explain the strange curse the giant was talking about, but Merlin shook his head. He had no more idea than Arthur what Kreksag meant when he talked about being cursed.

“I’m sorry, Kreksag, but I don’t understand.” Arthur looked back at the giant. “Would you explain what happened all those years ago? What do you mean when you say that you were cursed?”

“Like I said, it happened five hundred years ago, but to me it feels like only a few weeks.” Kreksag began to explain, and Merlin noticed that Gwen and the knights, as well as several of the villagers moved in closer, so they could hear the giant’s story.

“I was out hunting for food with my brothers, but that summer was very hot and dry, and the animals kept moving farther and farther away to find water, so we had to travel outside of our regular hunting grounds in search of good meat. We stumbled into the territory of a powerful warlock, and he did not like us being there, so he warned us that we must leave immediately. But we were very hungry and he was so tiny compared to us that my brother, Jorsek, thought we should fight him for the right to hunt on his land.”

Kreksag closed his eyes and hung his head. “But we underestimated his power. Using magic, he killed all of my brothers, but as a warning to the rest of our clan, he decided to put me under a curse. He turned me into stone and earth to mark the edge of his territory.

“He did say that he was not a completely unfair man, so for one fortnight every one hundred years, I would wake at night and have the chance to reverse his evil curse. But every time I wake up, I’m hungry, and I just want to find food. And I can’t travel very far to look for it, because I must return to my resting place each night before the sun rises, or I will die.”

Merlin could hardly believe what Kreksag was telling them. He had no idea such terrible and powerful curses existed.

“What do you need to do to break the curse?” Arthur asked.

Kreksag heaved a deep sigh. “I don’t know. The warlock said I would need help. But then he laughed and put another spell on me to make me nearly invisible to others so it would be that much harder to ask for help.”

Arthur took a step forward. “Well, you have help now. This evil sorcerer… he must have given you some clue as to how to break the curse. Do you remember anything he said or did that might give an indication of what is required?”

Kreksag shook his head. “I don’t remember. As soon as he explained the terms of the curse, he cast the spell and I never saw him again, because I was immediately turned into earth and I didn’t wake up again for one hundred years. By then all my family and my friends were gone. And I don’t know where any other giants are.”

Cringing slightly, Arthur explained to Kreksag that he might be the only giant left, because no one alive had ever seen a giant before. “We believed giants to be mere legends. Characters in stories, but not real beings that lived in the world.”

Kreksag looked down for a moment and nodded slowly. Merlin thought he saw his eyes filling with tears. But when he spoke again, his voice was even. “That’s what I was afraid of. When I never saw any other giants or any of their dwellings or footpaths, I thought they must have disappeared. Maybe they ran out of food, or maybe they were all destroyed by evil warlocks.”

“I don’t know what killed the giants, Kreksag.” Arthur said. “But I do know that we will do whatever we can to help you now. You still have a few days before you must return to your cursed sleep for another hundred years. So we must do what we can to break this curse.”

Arthur turned and looked at Merlin. “Well? You’re our resident magic expert, apparently. What do you know of curses like this? What kind of spell would be necessary to turn a giant into a mountain for a hundred years at a time?”

Merlin thought about all the spells he had read about in Gaius’s books. Some of the books contained powerful and complicated enchantments and even curses, but he did not remember ever seeing a curse as complicated as this one. There were so many levels to it… the transformation of the living body into an inanimate mountain, the magical sleep, the awakening each night for two weeks every hundred years, and the requirement that the sleep take place in the same location every day. And then Merlin wasn’t certain whether the shadowy disguise was part of the original curse or whether it was another condition tacked on. Either way, he had no idea a spell could be so complicated.

“This curse has so many facets, it must have required multiple spells all tied together to put it into place.” Merlin was mostly thinking out loud, but he noticed that all eyes were trained on him.

“So what does that mean?” Arthur wondered.

Trying to remember the methods that could be used to tie spells together, Merlin looked down for a moment so he could concentrate. “Several objects would have to be enchanted to hold the magic in place.”

“What kind of objects? They would have to be something durable, like stone, if they have held up for more than five hundred years.” Arthur was in full quest mode now, clearly trying to understand all the facts so he could formulate a plan of action.

“Possibly.” Merlin considered Arthur’s theory. “Although, in addition to fuelling the curse, the objects themselves might have been imbued with magical strength before they were hidden.”

“Great.” Arthur sighed and then turned back to Kreksag. “Do you remember seeing any such objects before the sorcerer cursed you?”

Kreksag shook his head. “I didn’t see anything. He wasn’t holding anything when he cast the curse. He was standing in the middle of a field shouting words at me while a storm cloud brewed overhead.”

“What words did he say? Do you remember?” Leon stepped forward, glancing at Merlin as if he was silently asking whether his question would be helpful, but Merlin wasn’t certain how to respond. Knowing the exact spell would help, but since spells were spoken in a language that most non-magical folk would not understand, it was unlikely that Kreksag would be able to remember and repeat the words.

Kreksag scrunched up his face, deep in thought. “Let’s see. He said something about a pillar. And the truth hanging from the sky.”

Merlin’s heart gave a hopeful leap. Perhaps Kreksag did speak the language in which spells were written. Or perhaps the ancient sorcerer cast spells in a different manner than today.

“Hmm…” Kreksag was trying to remember more of what the sorcerer had said. “He mentioned a path. The path leading to the darkness or something like that. It rhymed, too. When he cast the curse, it sounded like a poem.”

Arthur looked at Merlin, eyebrows raised. “Merlin, will you work with Kreksag to help him remember the words of the spell and try to make sense of it?”

Merlin nodded, suddenly so grateful that Arthur not only trusted him with such an important task, but he actually recognised that Merlin was the one person who might be able to decipher Kreksag’s memories and come up with something useful to help.

Arthur cleared the crowd away, so the giant could sit up and stretch his legs. Once Kreksag was settled, Merlin climbed up to sit on his massive thigh, so they could talk easily.

It took almost an hour, and by the end, Arthur was starting to pace impatiently back and forth across the field, but Merlin pieced together Kreksag’s memories of single words and phrases, and he felt confident they had finally come up with the complete spell.

Of course, knowing the spell and understanding what it meant and how it might help them break the curse were two completely different things.

Merlin slid down from the giant’s leg, and Arthur jogged over to meet him. “Well? Did you figure out the spell that the sorcerer used?”

“We think so.” Merlin wasn’t sure how to explain to Arthur that he didn’t know whether knowing the spell would help them or not.

“The sun will be up soon.” Kreksag spoke up. “I need to return to my spot.”

At Arthur’s direction, Henry and his friends cleared a path so Kreksag could walk back to the now empty patch of dirt where he rested as a mountain. He sat carefully, curled his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms around his legs. The sun peeked out over the horizon, and Kreksag laid his head on top of his arm, closing his eyes. He took two deep breaths, murmured, “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” and then, as Merlin and the others watched, his skin and hair and clothes changed to dirt and grass and trees.

“Doesn’t seem possible.” Gwaine muttered, shaking his head in disbelief at the mountain before them.

But Arthur was completely unfazed by the magical transformation they had witnessed. He turned immediately to Merlin to ask about the spell. “So what did you find out? What was the spell that was used to curse Kreksag? And can we use that to help us track down the enchanted objects we need to break the curse?”

Merlin took a deep breath and repeated the spell that he and Kreksag had been able to piece together.

“A new path, free from light.  
A pillar of earth with strength and might.  
I summon the words from on high.  
The truth shall hang from the sky.”  


“What does it mean?” Arthur asked. “Do you recognise the spell? Do you know how to reverse it?”

“It’s not like any spell I’ve ever seen, Arthur.” Merlin noticed Arthur’s shoulders slump in disappointment. “Spells aren’t usually in plain English like that. I’m not sure whether these words were actually part of the curse, or whether the sorcerer was just putting on a show.”

Arthur nodded with resignation, but Merlin still felt he had let him down. “I’m sorry.”

At that point, Arthur declared that they should all try to get a little sleep, so they would be able to approach the curse with fresh minds later in the day. A couple of the farmers volunteered their barns for Arthur and his knights to sleep in, and Josson’s wife said she had room for Gwen. When they got back to the village, Arthur was deep in conversation with Leon as he headed toward the smaller of the two barns, so Merlin followed Percival, Lancelot, Elyan and Gwaine toward the other barn, but Arthur caught up with him and tugged on his sleeve.

“Let Leon go with the others. I want you with me.” Arthur managed a half-smile. “You are supposed to be my protector, after all.”

Merlin nodded, unsure whether Arthur wanted him close for protection or whether he wanted Merlin to act as his servant and prepare a bed for him in the barn. They entered the barn and Merlin pulled down a blanket that was draped across the gate of the horse’s stall.

He spread the blanket across a pile of fresh hay for Arthur, and then he started to settle on some older hay nearby. Arthur rolled his eyes as he stretched out on the blanket. “Don’t be an idiot, Merlin. You won’t get much rest on that itchy hay. Get over here and share this blanket with me.”

So Merlin lay down next to Arthur, being very careful not to let any part of his body touch any part of Arthur’s body, but as soon as he was settled, Arthur shifted so their arms pressed hotly together. “Do you think we’ll actually be able to help Kreksag?” His voice was unsure. So often, once Merlin and Arthur were alone, Arthur felt safe letting his own insecurities show. He would never show such uncertainty in front of his knights, but Merlin always secretly loved that Arthur trusted him enough to show a little weakness in front of him.

“I don’t know.” Usually he tried to build up Arthur’s confidence, but this time, he genuinely had no idea what they should do next. “I don’t even know where to start looking for a way to reverse that curse.”

“Do you think we’ll need magic to break it?”

Merlin could hardly believe Arthur was talking about using magic in such a matter-of-fact way. “We might. It depends on how the curse was set up.”

“If magic is required, you’re the only one who can help Kreksag.” Arthur’s eyebrows drew together as he turned to study Merlin’s face. “I’m used to having my knights to back me up in a fight. But I guess you haven’t had that luxury. You’ve had to face our magical foes on your own.”

Arthur actually sounded impressed which filled Merlin’s heart with warmth, and he wondered… Would Arthur be so accepting of others who had magic? Merlin wouldn’t out Hilda as a sorceress until he was certain of Arthur’s reaction, but he already suspected Arthur would take the news well.

“I might not be completely on my own this time. What if someone else here has magic?”

He watched Arthur’s face as he squinted back at Merlin as if he was trying to read his mind. With a wry smile, Arthur asked, “It’s one of the children, isn’t it? That’s why you’re so connected with them.”

Impressed, Merlin let out a breathy laugh. “It’s Hilda. How did you guess?”

With a smirk, Arthur answered, “Because I know you.” But the smile dropped quickly from his face. He lowered his eyes for a moment, but then raised them again to meet Merlin’s. “Well, I think I know your heart, anyway.”

Merlin nodded fervently, because he desperately needed Arthur to understand that he was still the same person, even though he had kept a huge part of himself hidden.

Arthur gave a sad smile and held Merlin’s gaze. He slid his hand over to bump the back of Merlin’s hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, he tucked his hand around Merlin’s and linked their fingers.

“I’m glad you finally trusted me with your secret.” He murmured.

And Merlin smiled. “I’m glad, too. Thank you for believing that I’m on your side. And for not chopping my head off.”

Arthur laughed and then leaned his head over onto Merlin’s shoulder. They remained pressed close together, sharing warmth and support as they both fell asleep.

******

Merlin stirred, not quite ready to wake up. He scooted closer to the pleasant warmth beside him, hoping to drift back into sleep.

“Ahem.” Someone was making noise nearby. “My lord? … Arthur? You’ve been asleep for three hours. Are you ready to get to work on breaking the curse?”

Merlin felt Arthur jerk away from him, sitting up rapidly, and he finally opened his eyes, remembering that he was sleeping on the floor of a barn. Next to Arthur. And now, Leon was standing over them with an embarrassed flush on his face as he tried his best not to make eye contact with either one of them as they untangled their limbs and scrambled to their feet.

Clearly deciding to ignore the somewhat compromising position Leon had just found him in with his servant, Arthur immediately walked out of the barn, asking Leon whether everyone had sufficient food and water to start a busy day. Merlin stayed behind for a moment to refold the blanket and hang it back in its spot over the stall door. Once he was outside in the sunlight, he did feel more refreshed, and he decided the few hours of sleep had been a good idea. He thought he might walk over to Muriel’s to check on Hilda and Teddy, but before he made it across the square, he saw them running toward him.

“Merlin!” Teddy called out to him as they ran. “Was there really a giant? I was right, wasn’t I? I thought that mountain looked like a giant all curled up and asleep! I was right, right?”

Merlin had to laugh at the little boy’s exuberance. “Yes, Teddy, you were right. In fact, it’s thanks to you that we got a head start on preparing to meet the giant. I remembered what you said about the mountain, so we knew what to expect before Kreksag even woke up.”

Teddy’s face was shining with glee. “I knew it!” He punched the air a few times. “I knew it!”

Hilda smiled at her brother and then turned to Merlin. “So, you’re trying to help the giant? Isn’t he dangerous, though? I mean, he destroyed all their crops and everything -- why would the prince want to help him after he did all that?”

Her eyes looked up at Merlin, a little frightened, but mostly curious. So he reassured her. “Kreksag did destroy their crops, but not on purpose. You see, he was cursed a long time ago, and he only wakes up every one hundred years. So the last time he woke up, Bellmare wasn’t here. He was just looking for food, and he had no idea he was destroying the farmers’ lands.”

“Oh!” Hilda poked out her bottom lip. “Poor Kreksag! That must be awful being cursed like that. Can’t anyone help him?”

“We’re going to try.” Merlin put an arm around her shoulder as they started following Teddy who was jumping around, either still celebrating his brilliance or perhaps fighting an imaginary dragon or pretending the ground was boiling oil. It was hard to tell with little kids sometimes. “Arthur decided it was the right thing to do.”

Hilda laughed. “Did you maybe help him with that decision?”

Merlin looked down to find her grinning wryly up at him. She was a clever girl. “Maybe a little. But really, he’s got a good heart. He would have come to that conclusion on his own if he had all the facts. Oh! And speaking of Arthur having all the facts… he knows about my magic, now. Everyone does.”

As they walked over to the front of the tavern where Arthur was gathering the knights after everyone had eaten a hearty breakfast, Merlin gave Hilda a brief summary of what had happened the night before. She gave him another wide smile when he told her that Arthur had decided to trust Merlin and not punish him for being a sorcerer.

“He wasn’t afraid of you.” She laughed, and then murmured almost to herself. “Maybe things will change.”

Oh, how Merlin hoped she was right. They arrived at the tavern just in time to hear Arthur addressing the crowd.

“Our task for today is to find several enchanted objects that are essential to the curse that binds Kreksag. We don’t know what the objects may be or how many to look for, although we hoped the words of the curse might provide us with a clue.”

And then Arthur spoke the verses that Merlin had helped Kreksag remember the night before.

“A new path, free from light.  
A pillar of earth with strength and might.  
I summon the words from on high.  
The truth shall hang from the sky.”  


Merlin looked around at the faces in the crowd surrounding Arthur, but he saw only blank looks and thoughtful stares. A few people were shaking their heads as if they were trying to make sense of the words, but they couldn’t.

“It’s a cave.” Hilda’s voice was hesitant beside Merlin, and when he looked down at her, her eyes were raised toward his in question.

“What?” Merlin asked.

But Arthur had also overheard her remark, and he walked straight up to her, leaning down to give her his full attention. “Hilda? You have an idea about breaking the curse?”

“I think it’s talking about a cave.” She looked around, cheeks flushing red as she realised that everyone had turned to listen to her. “A path with no light and pillars and something hanging from above. That’s a cave, isn’t it? Like the one Teddy and I used to live in. Caves have all those spikes hanging from the ceiling and coming up from the ground. And sometimes they come together in the middle to make a pillar.” Her voice grew more confident as she spoke, and then she added, “Also, caves are very dark.”

As she spoke, a wide grin broke out on Arthur’s face, and when she finished, he grabbed her face with both hands and planted a kiss right on her forehead. “Hilda, you are a genius! All right, we are looking for a cave. Does anyone know of a cave near here?” He asked the villagers, and they started talking amongst themselves.

Merlin looked down at Hilda whose face was still bright red, but she was now pursing her lips together to hold back a proud grin. After talking for a while with the knights and villagers, Arthur turned back to the two of them.

“Apparently there are a couple of caves nearby. Gwaine is taking a group to one of them, and Hilda? I wondered if you might like to lead myself and Merlin on an expedition to search the other cave.”

Merlin was so proud of Arthur in that moment, it took all of his self-control not to throw his arms around him and squeeze as tight as he could. And Hilda looked fit to burst. Her smile was wide and bright as she nodded vigorously.

“Great!” Arthur patted her on the back. “Where’s that brother of yours?” He looked around the square and motioned for Teddy to come join them. “Hey buddy, we’re off on a quest. You want to come along?”

“Yeah!” Teddy yelled out and started bounding across the square. “A quest? Where are we going? What are we doing? Do I need a sword? Can I use a real one? Hilda! A quest! Did you hear?”

Merlin and Arthur exchanged a glance that was both amused and a little concerned. Even a small quest to a local cave could prove to be difficult with an excitable seven year old along. Hilda must have seen their nervous look, because she immediately started backtracking.

“Are you sure you want us to come along? I mean, it’s an important quest, and we don’t want to get in the way or anything.” She was wringing her hands in front of her as she spoke.

“Hil-daaaa!” Teddy whined at his sister. “Come on! I wanna go!”

But Arthur reached over and tousled Teddy’s hair. “Of course you’re coming.” Then he smiled down at Hilda again. “I want you to come along because you’re the one who figured out that we need to look in a cave. But I also want you to come because this is powerful magic that we’re dealing with. And, although my knights and I have had extensive training in fighting with swords and other weapons, we have no tools at our disposal to help us fight against magic.”

He looked her straight in the eye. “I believe we will need magic to break this curse. And I only know two people here with magic.” He glanced sideways at Merlin, lip curling into a crooked smile, but he quickly looked back at Hilda. “And you’re one of them.”

He straightened up and asked Hilda earnestly. “So, will you help us?”

Merlin had never wanted to kiss Arthur more than he did at that moment. Arthur was not only letting Hilda know that he accepted her magic, he was letting her know that her magic was important. That she had something to contribute. And in a way, Arthur was letting Merlin know that same thing. That he still needed him. That he still wanted him around.

Hilda gave a very solemn nod, accepting Arthur’s request for help. Even Teddy had calmed down and seemed to sense the significance of this moment.

So Merlin packed a small bag with extra water and some bandages and medicine, just in case, and they were on their way. Teddy kept up a constant stream of chatter the entire way to the cave, but Merlin wasn’t paying much attention. His heart had taken up permanent residence in this throat, because Arthur walked right beside him and kept bumping his arm against Merlin’s arm and looking over at him with smiling eyes.

When they found the cave and started to walk inside it, Teddy quieted down and reached for his big sister’s hand. Arthur lit a torch and took the lead. Merlin let Hilda and Teddy follow Arthur, while he brought up the rear.

“What do you think we’re looking for?” Hilda whispered after they had passed through several rooms in the cave.

“Well,” Arthur turned his head slightly back toward her, but he kept walking forward. “What did the curse say?”

“It said,  _ A new path, free from light. A pillar of earth with strength and might.  _ We’re free from the light from outside, and there’s a bunch of those pillars around.” She pointed at a few of them. “Then it said,  _ I summon the words from on high. The truth shall hang from the sky _ ”

“So what do you think that means?” Arthur’s tone told Merlin that he had some idea what they were looking for, but he wanted to give Hilda a chance to figure it out on her own. Merlin had heard that tone before when Arthur was training young knights.

“Well, I think _the words_ are some information that we’ll need. Like a clue. And the second part…  _ the truth shall hang from the sky _ … that makes me think of those spikes that hang from the top of the cave.” She was talking quietly, working out the clues in the curse as she went. “So maybe we’ll find something written on one of those spikes. Some information that will help us find the enchanted objects you were talking about earlier.”

“Hmmm…” Arthur nodded slowly as if he was pondering what she had said. “You know? I think you may be onto something, Hilda.”

Merlin could hardly contain his grin. This little quest with these orphaned children was making Merlin fall even harder for Arthur. He could have left the kids behind and taken some of his knights with him to search the cave, but he brought Hilda and Teddy along to teach them and prepare them for the future.

They continued searching, peering carefully at every bit of stone hanging from the top of the cave. They had just passed one of the larger columns of stone, when Hilda suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! There it is!”

And sure enough, Arthur held the torch near the formation Hilda was pointing at and they could see, carved into it, another rhyme. They gathered near, and Arthur read the verses aloud as he walked in tight circles, following the words that spiralled down the surface of the pointed rock.

_Sparkling jewels for the amulet._  
_Five different hues complete the set._

_All five jewels embedded in stone._  
_Carve them out to make them your own._

_A violet jewel enthroned in rose,_  
_Shall be found beyond his toes._

_The green jewel hides inside a sharp bend_  
_Of the water that carves a path through this land._

_The king believed his citadel strong._  
_His blood stained this jewel for he was wrong._

_A giant’s finger points toward the sky._  
_You’ll find the blue jewel perched on high._

_Below the ground, beside the pool,_  
_Like fire shines the amber jewel._

They stood in silence for a few moments, letting the meaning of the rhymes sink in, and then Hilda spoke up.

“So it’s jewels? The enchanted objects we have to find to break the curse on the giant are jewels, right?”

“So it would seem.” Arthur was silently rereading the words carved into the stone. “Five of them. And apparently there’s an amulet we’ll have to fit them into, but it doesn’t give any indication of where that is.”

“I guess we still have some work to do.” Merlin pointed out as he opened his pack to retrieve a pencil and some paper so he could copy down the verses. “I hope we can find all five jewels before Kreksag’s fortnight is over. We only have a few days to go.”

Teddy gave a firm nod. “We can do it. I know we can.”

“Good attitude, Teddy.” Arthur clapped him on the back. “Well, we’d best be on our way to let the others know what we found, and then we can start solving these clues and hunting down these jewels.”

So they gathered up and left the cave. Hilda asked if she could carry the paper with the clues, and as they walked back toward the village, she and Teddy tried to work through the clues together.

“The giant pointing toward the sky… that has to be Kreksag. But he’s all curled up, not pointing.”

“Maybe he points when he’s awake? And the green one, maybe it’s in a river? But it might have washed away after all this time.”

Arthur hung back to walk next to Merlin again. “They’re clever kids. I hope we can find a permanent home for them after we’ve broken the curse.”

“I think Muriel might be willing to take them in. She’s grown fond of them.” Merlin felt quite sad when he thought about leaving the kids behind.

“You’ll miss them.”

Merlin hadn’t quite realised how much he would miss them until this moment. “When I found out about Hilda’s magic, I guess I understood her. How she felt like an outsider. And how the people from her village were afraid of her.”

“Were people afraid of you? In Ealdor?”

Merlin shook his head. “They probably would have been, if they had known about my magic. But my mother always made sure I was careful to keep it secret. The only person who knew was Will. And when she found out he knew, that’s when she sent me to Camelot to stay with Gaius.”

“Wait,” Arthur reached over and grabbed Merlin’s arm to stop him. “Your friend Will? The one who used magic to save us in that battle? Did your mother know that he had magic, too?”

Merlin sighed, his shoulders dropping, but before he could explain, Arthur closed his eyes and groaned. “He didn’t have magic at all, did he? You created that windstorm, and Will took the blame to protect you, didn’t he?”

Merlin gave a little shrug, and Arthur sighed.

“Well, I guess I can’t fault him for that.” Arthur’s expression was pensive. “After all, when we get back to Camelot, I plan to lie to my father to protect you, as well.”

Looking over at Arthur, eyes wide, Merlin wasn’t quite sure how to respond. He was already shocked at how quickly Arthur had adjusted to the knowledge of Merlin’s magic, but this… Knowing Arthur was willing to lie to the king. For him.

“Arthur,” Merlin said shakily, his heart beginning to flutter as Arthur gazed affectionately into his eyes. But before he could continue, Teddy gave a whoop.

“You got it, Hilda! You got it!”

Hilda and Teddy whipped around and ran back toward Merlin and Arthur, who tore their gaze from one another to look at the children.

“The clue said that a violet jewel would be found beyond his toes!” Hilda was talking fast and her brother was jumping up and down, clapping his hands. “That’s got to be the giant, right? Because who else’s toes would still be around after all these years? But you said Kreksag has to sit in the same spot every day when he turns back into a mountain, so maybe there’s some rocks beyond his toes that might hold the jewel.”

She finally drew a breath and looked up at Arthur hopefully. “Do you think?”

Arthur nodded, looking impressed. “Good thinking, Hilda. You might be right.” He turned to Merlin. “Should we head over to Kreksag’s mountain and have a look?”

Merlin watched as the children both started bouncing on their toes, begging to go right away, but he wondered if more eyes might help to locate the jewel. Last night, the knights and villagers had removed many of the stones from the base of the mountain to build a wall, so the stone they needed might no longer be at Kreksag’s feet. If they could enlist some of the villagers to help, they might be more successful in their hunt.

  


_Should Merlin, Arthur and the children go look for the jewel at the giant’s toes?_    [**Go to Chapter 20.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17747233)

 _Should Merlin recommend that they return to the village first to ask for help?_    [**Go to Chapter 21.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17747350)


	19. Chapter 19

“What’s that?” Merlin shouted, pointing across the field, away from the giant, but Arthur kept his eyes on the moving shadow before him, so Merlin tried again. “I saw something moving toward the village. What is that?”

But again, Arthur would not be swayed. “I’m a little busy here, Merlin, trying to stop this giant. Whatever you’re on about, will you take care of it yourself?”

And then, to Merlin’s dismay, Arthur grabbed him by the sleeve and shoved him in the direction of the village where Merlin was claiming he saw movement. Merlin supposed he should feel flattered that Arthur trusted him to take care of whatever problem had supposedly arisen, but since the problem was fictional and meant to distract Arthur so Merlin could perform magic, Merlin was simply frustrated. And now, the giant had moved out of range of where Merlin believed he could cast a spell to remove the glamour. Unless he got another chance to get close to the giant, they would simply have to fight a nearly invisible foe.

They all watched, frozen in place, as the shadow moved closer to their first tripwire. Without taking his eyes off the darkness that was passing before them, Arthur whispered as Merlin moved back up to his side. “What was it?” When Merlin didn’t answer right away, he hissed, “Merlin? What was it that you saw going for the village?”

“Nothing.” Thinking quickly, Merlin whispered back, “It was a deer.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Arthur reached over and clapped a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “Good thing you were there, Merlin. A loose deer? That could have been devastating.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Merlin was glad, at least, that even in the middle of a battle with a mysterious magical creature, Arthur was able to keep his sense of humour enough to mock his servant.

But before Merlin could think of a better comeback, Arthur tightened his grip on Merlin’s shoulder, because the shadows surrounding the giant were almost upon the first tripwire the knights had set up. Merlin held his breath. He could only see the general location of the giant, but he couldn’t distinguish where its legs or feet were, so they wouldn’t be able to tell whether the giant tripped until it actually started to fall. And then he wasn’t sure how all the knights and villagers ahead of them would know which way to run to get out of the way before they were crushed.

Although Arthur was still gripping his shoulder, Merlin prepared himself to use magic to slow the giant’s fall, even if it meant exposing his secret to Arthur, but the giant must have missed the tripwire, because the shadows continued moving past their trap.

Arthur cursed under his breath as the shapeless darkness glided along the path toward the next tripwire where Percival and Leon were stationed. He tugged on Merlin’s sleeve. “Come on. We have to catch up with him to help the others if he trips on the next one.”

They ran together, following the dark shadow and then veered to the right where Leon was standing, watching the second tripwire. As the darkness approached, all three men kept their eyes on the rope that was stretched between two trees. This time, when the shadow hovered almost on top of the wire, the rope actually started to move. It was pressed down in the centre. Merlin realised the giant must have stepped directly on the tripwire, and his heart sank. If the wire was simply depressed, the giant was not likely to trip.

But then Leon whispered, “It didn’t go all the way down.”

Before Merlin had a chance to process what that meant, the rope on their side of the depressed portion twanged as if a giant foot had caught on it, and then that portion of the rope was also pushed rapidly to the ground, and before Merlin knew what was happening, the whole sky seemed to disappear, and the giant let out a mighty bellow.

“It’s coming this direction!” Arthur shouted, and he pulled on both Leon and Merlin’s arms and started running toward the middle of the field.

Everything was dark, and they couldn’t tell where the giant was, so they ran as fast as they could. Merlin felt the ground shake beneath him, but he kept running, because he couldn’t know if they were completely out of the way of the giant’s entire body yet or not.

“Is it still falling?” Arthur shouted.

“I can’t tell!” Leon panted back.

They kept running, but then a sudden breeze whooshed past them, and they heard a very loud, pained grunt. Merlin knew that meant the giant’s body had hit the ground. So hopefully they were safely out of the way for the time being.

“Where’s its head?” Arthur was scrambling around, peering into the darkness. He held his sword before him, waving it back and forth in a desperate attempt to find any part of the giant’s body to connect with so he could inflict some damage before the giant was able to stand up again.

Leon followed Arthur’s lead and jabbed forward with his sword as he walked toward the shadow before them. Merlin could hear shouting beyond the darkness, so he knew the other knights and villagers were coming to help.

Arthur exclaimed triumphantly at the same moment as a great cry rang out. His sword must have made contact with the giant. Both Arthur and Leon were now hacking away at the giant, and the giant was starting to thrash about, crying out in pain. Merlin could not bear it. The other knights and the men from the village had arrived and had joined in the fight. They still could not see the giant clearly, so they simply attacked the dark air before them at random, occasionally landing a blow. The giant was beginning to fight back, though, and Merlin saw Gwaine fly backward as the giant knocked into him as it tried to defend itself.

As the battle raged on with the knights and villagers blindly attacking the darkness and the giant flailing wildly, defending itself against its slew of miniature attackers, Merlin knew there was no way for this to end well. He knew he had to do something.

Merlin would have liked to save the giant somehow. As far as he knew, it was the only one of its kind, and it deserved to be protected, but there was no way he could convince Arthur to call off the attack at this point. Besides, from the amount of blood that was now pouring onto the field beneath the dark shadows, Merlin wasn’t sure the giant would survive, even if the attackers stopped. Since the giant was already dying, the only option Merlin had was to put it out of its misery quickly rather than allowing it to die a slow and painful death at the hands of Arthur and the knights and villagers.

He thought for a moment, but he knew which spell to use. He knew the spells to kill a man. Heart clenching, Merlin reminded himself that he was doing the giant a service. He would be taking its life but only to prevent it from feeling so much pain and fear.

Everyone else was completely occupied, fighting the thrashing giant, so no one would even notice Merlin using magic off to the side. He raised one hand, closed his eyes momentarily, offering a silent blessing, wishing the giant a peaceful passing, and then he spoke the words of the spell. The thrashing ceased and the giant fell silent. It took the attackers a few moments to realise they had succeeded, but slowly they began to back away.

When the giant died, the glamour protecting it began to fall away, and they saw its true shape at last. He looked like a normal man, only bigger. He was at least one hundred feet from head to toe, but other than his size, he appeared to be completely normal.

Once the battle was won, Arthur assessed the damage. Gwaine had sprained his ankle when he was thrown back, several of the villagers had minor injuries, and almost everyone had scrapes and bruises, but overall, the humans had come out of the fight very well. Merlin noticed that once he could see the giant lying on the ground, looking peaceful and completely human except for his size, Arthur seemed to feel a little guilty about having killed him.

The villagers were able to return to their homes, and they would be able to replant their damaged fields the next season. Hilda and Teddy found a new home with Muriel. Overall, the trip was counted as a success, but when they returned to Camelot, both Merlin and Arthur felt regret about the choices they made that led to the death of the giant.

**The End**

_If you would like to give Merlin another chance, return to the end of the previous chapter and make a different choice!_   [ **Return to Chapter 14.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746333#end)


	20. Chapter 20

“Sure! Let’s go hunt around Kreksag’s toes.” Merlin grinned as the children both took off running in the direction of the mountain.

“Don’t get too far ahead of us!” Arthur made a vain attempt to slow the children down as he and Merlin started to follow at a much slower pace. “Hey, can’t you use your magic to just pop us over there?”

Merlin laughed. “Doesn’t work that way, I’m afraid. Trust me, there’ve been a few times I would have loved to use a shortcut like that.”

“But I’ve seen sorcerers do that,” Arthur said. “Just vanish right before your eyes.”

Merlin had to concede, “Well, yes, it is possible, I guess. It’s just… there are certain types of magic I’m not willing to use.”

All the way to Kreksag’s mountain, Arthur peppered Merlin with questions about magic. How it worked. When Merlin started learning spells and how much he had learned. What he knew of Morgana’s magic. By the time they joined the children at the boulders that formed Kreksag’s feet, Arthur actually seemed excited about the things he now knew Merlin could do.

“All right, that’s it. Next time harvest rolls around and we have to transport sacks of grain from the fields into town, I’m not having any of the farmers and servants break their backs. You’re going to levitate every sack for us.” Arthur laughed and waved his arm in an arc above his head. “Sacks of grain just zooming through the sky into Camelot.”

“Oh, very funny,” Merlin scoffed. “Only if that means that I can now use magic to clean your chambers and polish your armour.”

Arthur gave him a sneer, but his eyes were twinkling.

“Come help! Come help!” Teddy ran right up to them. “There’s a whole bunch of rocks here around his feet. One of them has to have the jewel. Come help us look!”

Exchanging an amused look, Merlin and Arthur joined the children overturning each rock piled at the giant’s feet.

“We must be looking for a red rock or a pink one,” Hilda said, “Because it said the jewel was enthroned in rose.”

“Good thinking.” Arthur told her.

Merlin lifted a few broken bits of stone from the edge of the pile, examining their surface before tossing them aside. He noticed a hint of colour peeking out between two rocks below him, and he leaned down for a closer look. “I think I see a pink one down here. Let me see if I can just…” He used magic to lift the two heavy rocks obscuring the one with the rose hue.

“Wow!” Teddy’s eyes were wide.

“Nice.” Arthur sounded impressed which caused a flutter in Merlin’s stomach.

Emboldened by the attention, Merlin started showing off a bit. He magically lifted three additional boulders and made them tumble around in the air as he guided them to a new location several feet away from Kreksag’s feet. He was so focused on his task and on the oohs and ahs from his audience that he didn’t notice the loose rocks in his path until he stumbled and lost his footing.

The rocks he was levitating fell to the ground as he slipped and dropped to his knees. Merlin threw his hands out to catch himself, but he realised too late that he was falling into a nest of vipers he had apparently unearthed when he moved the rocks. The snakes struck out, biting him along his hands and forearms.

“Merlin, you oaf!” Arthur was laughing, but Merlin’s ears were starting to ring, and he could barely make out Arthur’s words. “Even with magic, you’re still as clumsy as—“

A burning sensation was spreading through Merlin’s arms.

“Merlin!” Arthur was shouting, but he sounded very far away. “Get up! Get away from them!”

Merlin tried to move, but a wave of dizziness overtook him.

“Merlin!” Arthur’s hands were on his shoulders, pulling him away from the serpents’ nest.

Arthur dragged him across the grass as Merlin watched the clouds swirl in circles in the sky. When Arthur stopped moving and came around to look at him, Merlin felt as if his brain was full of fog. He mumbled, “I’m just going to have a little lie down, if you don’t mind.”

But Arthur grabbed his shoulders again, shaking him urgently. “No! Merlin, use your magic! You have to heal it.” He reached for Merlin’s hands, holding them up in front of Merlin’s face.

“I’m sorry. What do you…?” Arthur clearly wanted Merlin to do something, but Merlin had no idea what that was.

“Merlin. Focus.” Arthur knelt in front of him and placed both hands on Merlin’s cheeks, forcing his eyes up to meet Arthur’s. “Take a deep breath with me.”

As Arthur drew in a breath, Merlin focused on the frightened blue eyes before him, and he drew in a breath as well.

“Now think. What is the spell to heal a snake bite?” Arthur’s steady voice and steadfast gaze were the only things breaking through the haze and the pain Merlin felt.

_"Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare."_ Merlin spoke the words of the only healing spell he could remember at the moment. It wasn’t specific to venomous snake bites, but it might do the trick. 

Arthur nodded firmly. “Do it. Cast that spell. Heal yourself.” Once again, he held up Merlin’s hands. They felt like they were on fire, and Merlin saw they were starting to swell.

Merlin mumbled. “Not so good at healing spells.” But he tried to focus on the wounds on his hands and forearms, and he spoke the words of the spell, giving his magic a push.

He felt nothing.

“I can’t.” He was starting to fade.

He tried to look at Arthur again who was shaking him, frantic now. “Merlin! Merlin! Focus! Look at me!”

But everything was going black and Merlin lost consciousness, Arthur’s frightened voice calling his name the last thing he heard.

******

“Arthur? I think he’s starting to come around.”

Was that Gaius? Merlin tried to open his eyes, but the light was bright, and he blinked hard, trying to focus. He started to sit up, but Arthur was suddenly beside him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Lie back, Merlin, you haven’t fully recovered yet.”

“Recovered?” Merlin couldn’t quite remember what might have happened.

“You fell into a nest of adders, Merlin. Several of them bit you and poisoned you with their venom.”

Oh yes. Now Merlin remembered. He was showing off his magic as they searched through the rocks for the jewel.

“Kreksag!” Merlin started to sit up again. “What happened? Did you find the violet jewel?”

“Sit back, Merlin.” Arthur eased him back onto his pillow. “We found the jewels. But not quite in time to release Kreksag from his curse, I’m afraid.”

Merlin’s heart sank. “Oh no. I thought we had several days.”

Arthur nodded. “You’ve been out for a while, Merlin.”

Confused, Merlin lifted his hands to see his wounds, but they were now bandaged from his palms halfway up his forearms.

“Do you remember trying a spell to heal yourself?” Arthur asked. “Hilda heard the spell, and she tried it herself. Apparently, she has a natural talent for healing.”

Merlin was pleasantly surprised, but he still didn’t understand how he had been unconscious for so long.

Arthur continued, “She was able to keep you from dying, but she wasn’t able to heal you completely. She’s young, and she’s still learning.”

“Still.” Merlin had to smile. “To keep the adder’s venom at bay like that, when she hasn’t had any training… that’s quite impressive.”

“I thought so.” Arthur’s voice was hushed and he reached forward, placing a hand on Merlin’s arm. “I’ve never been so thankful for magic in my life.”

“So did she finally heal me completely?” He lifted his hands again, wondering who had wrapped them so carefully.

Arthur shook his head. “No, we sent for Gaius. Gwaine rode through the night to get to Camelot.” He have a half-hearted chuckle. “He was worried about you, too.”

A look that may have been jealousy darkened Arthur’s face, but he quickly shook it off. “With the combination of Gaius’s medical skills and Hilda’s magic, it looks like you’ll make a full recovery.” Arthur smiled at Merlin, giving his arm a gentle squeeze.

So Merlin reached over and placed his own hand on top of Arthur’s, returning his warm smile. But his smile faded when he remembered. “Kreksag.” He felt sad for their new friend.

Arthur sighed. “We kept looking for those jewels, but some of them were difficult to reach, and I’m afraid by the time we found the last one, it was too late.” Arthur looked away. “We brought the jewels to the mountain, but Kreksag didn’t awaken again.”

Merlin felt tears stinging his eyes. “I wish I could have helped.”

With a nod of agreement, Arthur said sadly, “The people of Bellmare have agreed to keep the jewels safe and pass the knowledge of Kreksag’s curse to the next generation, so they might help him when he awakens again next century.”

Arthur sat with Merlin until he fell asleep again, and the next day, Merlin was well enough to travel. Merlin and Arthur said goodbye to Hilda and Teddy. Muriel had asked the children to live with her, and the villagers of Bellmare agreed to keep Hilda’s magic a secret from all outsiders. The group from Camelot returned home, happy that they were able to help the two children and the people of the village, but sad that they had not been able to release Kreksag from his cursed slumber.

**The End**

_If you would like to give Merlin another chance, return to the end of the previous chapter and make a different choice!_    [**Return to Chapter 18.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17746480#end)


	21. Chapter 21

“I don’t know. It’s a lot of rocks to search through, and some of them are now forming a wall across the field. I think maybe we should go back to the village and round up a few others to help.”

Hilda and Teddy groaned their disappointment, but Arthur appeased them by suggesting they race back to the village. He and Merlin trotted slightly behind, seemingly to allow the children the pleasure of beating the prince, but mostly to continuously bump into each other, teasing and roughhousing as they ran.

When they returned to the village, Teddy spotted Gwen and ran right up to her, shouting about the clues they had found in the cave.

“Come on!” He tugged at her hand. “Come help us look at the rocks! There’s got to be a violet jewel in one of them. Hilda thinks it’ll be a pink rock. Come on, Gwen!”

At first, Gwen was grinning at Teddy’s enthusiasm, but when he mentioned the jewel and the pink rock, a strange look came over her face. “I’ve seen that rock, but it’s not by the mountain.”

“It’s not?” Arthur asked. “Well then, where is it?”

Gwen led them to the well near the centre of town. “When the villagers built this well, they must have gathered rocks from the base of the mountain. The jewel’s right here!” Kneeling down, she pointed toward the base. “I noticed it yesterday when I drew water for the knights. I thought the villagers must have chosen that rock specifically because it’s pretty.”

“Excellent.” Arthur gave Gwen a smile. “Merlin, fetch me a chisel, so I can pry it out.” He knelt beside the well to examine the jewel, muttering under his breath, “It’ll be tough to remove it without damaging the jewel.”

But Merlin laughed. “Move out of the way. I’ll show you how it’s done.” He motioned for Hilda to join him. “Want to learn another spell?”

Merlin cast the spell, and the jewel instantly popped out of the stone into the palm of his hand. Arthur laughed and shook his head in disbelief, reaching for the jewel. He examined its smooth surfaces and then passed it around so everyone else could admire it. But when Gwen handed it back to Merlin, he decided to magically set the jewel back into the stone to allow Hilda a chance to practise the removal spell.

They repeated the process several times until Hilda was able to both place the jewel and remove it all by herself. The entire time, however, Merlin’s attention was mostly focused on Arthur. Teddy and Gwen watched Hilda, congratulating her on her success. But Arthur stood quietly to the side, his eyes glued to Merlin.

After their practise session, Teddy ran off to play with some of the other little boys from the village, and Hilda helped Gwen gather the knights and villagers in the town centre so Arthur could tell them about the clues.

As they stood waiting for the others to join them, Merlin felt Arthur’s gaze still on him. “What is it, Arthur?”

Arthur didn’t answer right away, his eyes locked with Merlin’s. But then he gave a half smile. “All these years… I wish I had known how useful magic can be. I wish my father hadn’t poisoned me against it.”

Merlin felt as if he were floating on a cloud hearing Arthur’s admission. “Maybe now you’ll let me use magic to do my chores. I can think of better ways to spend my time than cleaning your chamber, sire.” Merlin felt a thrill run down his spine as he pondered adding a quirk of his eyebrows to give a suggestive hint to his statement. Could he flirt so openly with the prince?

But Arthur beat him to it, stepping closer and lowering his voice. “Oh, you can absolutely use magic in my chamber. We’ll just have to make sure we lock the door first.”

Before Merlin had a chance to respond, Arthur gave him a sly grin and then turned to greet the villagers who were approaching with Gwen and Hilda. As Arthur began reading the clues aloud to the group, Merlin tried to ignore the way his palms tingled and his belly warmed as he thought about what Arthur might have been insinuating.

“We already have the violet jewel.” Arthur held up the jewel after reading the first part of the rhyme, and then he continued. _"The green jewel hides inside a sharp bend of the water that carves a path through this land."_

General murmurs among the group seemed to confirm that the green jewel would be found in the bend of the nearby river, but no one seemed to have an idea as to which river bend they should search.

Since there was no consensus, Arthur moved on to the next clue. _"The king believed his citadel strong. His blood stained this jewel for he was wrong."_

Before Arthur had a chance to question the crowd about the clue, Henry spoke up. “The ruins!” His friends nodded their agreement, so he continued, “On the other side of Kreksag’s mountain, in Caerleon’s kingdom, there are ruins of an old castle. Like really old. There’s not much left of the walls and what is there is covered with moss.”

Merlin and Arthur exchanged a hopeful glance. “That does sound promising. How far are these ruins from here?” Arthur asked Henry.

“About a day’s walk.”

“Good.” Arthur nodded thoughtfully. “We’ll definitely send a party to look for the jewel there. Thank you, Henry.”

Henry gave a solemn nod, but Merlin thought he was standing a little straighter and looked like he was trying to contain a pleased grin.

“Now, the next clue mentions a giant, although I’m not certain it means Kreksag. _A giant’s finger points toward the sky. You’ll find the blue jewel perched on high._ ” Arthur peered around at the villagers. “Since Kreksag is not positioned with his finger pointing up, I suspect this clue is talking about something that merely looks like a giant. Are there any mountains or rock formations close by that might have the appearance of a giant hand?”

Merlin was impressed that Arthur had made the leap from a literal giant to a figurative one. Since there was an actual giant involved in this quest, Merlin had not yet considered anything beyond examining Kreksag’s fingers.

“Yes, just north of here.” Josson spoke up. “At the top of a bluff in the Snowy Mountains, there is a stone that stands taller than three men. But few men have survived the climb to the top of the bluff.”

“I can give it a shot. I’m not a bad climber.”

The crowd turned and Merlin and Arthur looked up to see that the group of knights who had gone to check the other cave had returned. Elyan was leading the group with his hand raised as he volunteered to search for the blue jewel.

“Sounds like you had better luck in your cave than we did.” Gwaine called out. “Is this another quest, then?”

Arthur walked over to the knights to fill them in on the clues they had found in the cave. Josson joined them to give Elyan directions to the tall stone atop the bluff. Gwen was watching her brother with a concerned look on her face, so Merlin edged through the crowd to join her.

“I’m not sure about this, Merlin. Elyan thinks he’s a better climber than he actually is.” She spoke quietly so only Merlin would hear. “I’m worried he only volunteered to impress Arthur.”

Merlin wrapped an arm around Gwen’s shoulders. Surely she was just being a protective sister. Elyan wouldn’t deliberately put himself in unnecessary danger. Although, when Merlin thought about it, he realised that any of Arthur’s knights would rather risk their own lives than let Arthur down. And of course, Merlin understood. He would likely do the same himself.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Merlin reassured Gwen, although he suspected she knew he wasn’t as confident as he was trying to sound.

They stood for a while and watched Arthur and the knights discussing their plans before Arthur broke away from the group and came to join them.

“I’m going to need your help, Merlin. And Gwen, you too.” Arthur nodded to both of them. “Turns out Gwaine believes the amber jewel might be in the cave they just finished searching. He said there was a pool of water deep within the cave, so… beneath the ground and beside a pool. He and Lancelot will return to the cave to search.”

He turned toward Gwen. “I’d like you to go with them, if you don’t mind, Guinevere.” He gave her a half-smile that seemed to be letting her know that he was giving her some time to bond with Lancelot.

She smiled her appreciation and said, “Of course! I’d be happy to help.”

“Now, Merlin,” Arthur turned toward him. “Elyan and Percival will travel to the bluff to find the jewel that will hopefully be in the stone atop it. I want you to accompany them, in case magic is needed to get all the way to the top.”

Merlin was pleased that Arthur trusted him with this task and was so quickly recognising how helpful magic could be, but then he caught sight of Gwen’s face sinking at the thought of her brother making such a dangerous journey. He wondered if there might be an easier way to get to the jewel. If he had access to his magic book, he might be able to find a spell that would enable him to get to the top of the mountain without climbing.

In addition, Merlin vaguely remembered reading about a magical tool to locate buried minerals. If he could locate the right kind of wood, he might be able to create a dowsing rod that would help them locate any jewels that were not in plain sight, such as the green one in the river.

If Arthur noticed Gwen and Merlin’s concern, he chose not to acknowledge it. “And Leon and I will journey to the castle ruins Henry spoke of. He and some of the other village boys will join us. Supposedly, we’ll cross a sharp bend in the river on our way, so we might be able to retrieve two jewels on the same trip.”

Lancelot summoned Gwen to join him and Gwaine. Since the cave was close by, they were leaving right away. She gave Merlin one last pleading look and asked him to look after her brother. Arthur tugged on Merlin’s arm, leading him toward the barn where their horses and supplies were being kept.

“Merlin, gather whatever supplies you might need for the trip. Josson says it will take two full days to reach the mountain.”

“Are we leaving right away?” Merlin asked. “I assumed we’d wait until the morning so we’d have time to prepare, and so we’d be starting out well-rested. It sounds like it’ll be quite a strenuous climb to reach the top of the bluff. And besides, I actually might be able to prepare a sort of magical tool to help you locate the jewel in the river.”

Arthur stopped walking, jerking his head toward Merlin. “Are you serious? Because that would save us time.”

Merlin wasn’t certain he remembered the spell to create the dowsing rod, and even if he did, he wasn’t certain it would work for these jewels. If he tried but wasn’t successful, he would be losing precious time in releasing Kreksag from the curse.

  


_Should Merlin leave immediately and help Elyan and Percival search for the blue jewel on the mountain?_    [**Go to Chapter 22.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17747515)

 _Should Merlin try to create a magical tool for finding the jewels?_    [**Go to Chapter 23.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17749141)


	22. Chapter 22

“Well, I’m not certain I could make the dowsing rod.” Merlin admitted. “I only read about it once.”

Arthur was quiet for a moment, processing this information. Then he sighed. “We better not waste the time then. We need to go now.”

So Merlin gathered supplies, both for his quest and for Arthur’s, and he prepared horses for himself, Elyan and Percival. The terrain Arthur’s group would cover would be easier to traverse on foot. Once he had everything ready, he met Elyan and Percival at the northern edge of the village. Arthur was with them, so Merlin gave him the bag he had prepared as well as a long rope he found in the barn.

“Use this when you’re searching the river. I don’t want anyone to be swept up in the current.”

“Are you worried about me, Merlin?” Arthur gave a cocky smirk.

But rather than teasing back, Merlin smiled sadly. “Promise me you’ll be careful, Arthur.”

So Arthur nodded and took a step closer to Merlin, catching his wrist. “You be careful, too. Don’t take any unnecessary risks. I want you back in one piece.”

He rubbed his thumb up and down the sensitive skin on the inside of Merlin’s wrist, and Merlin couldn’t help dropping his gaze from Arthur’s eyes to his lips. He was desperate to kiss Arthur, and by now, he was almost certain Arthur would kiss him back, but he was very aware of Elyan and Percival standing just a few feet away.

He gave Arthur one last smile and then turned to mount his horse. As he and the knights rode away, Merlin tried to resist, but before they got too far, he looked back and saw Arthur watching them. Embarrassed, Arthur spun away quickly to return to the village, but after just a few steps, he turned back for one last look at Merlin.

Merlin chuckled to himself and savoured the twisting excitement in his belly that he felt every time he flirted with Arthur. He was lost in thoughts of incidental touches leading to hesitant kisses and flirty banter leading to amorous confessions, and he didn’t notice his companions’ stares until Elyan cleared his throat pointedly, and Merlin looked over to see them both staring at him, oddly bewildered.

“What’s going on with you and Arthur?” Elyan asked. “You two looked like you were about to kiss back there.”

Merlin coughed and looked away, feeling his ears burn.

“Wait, are you serious?” Elyan sounded surprised. “I was just messing with you. Are you and Arthur—“ He stopped, waving a hand in front of him as if he wasn’t quite sure how to finish that sentence.

“No! We’re not… It’s not like that.” Merlin shook his head fervently. His automatic response was to protect Arthur which meant he had to hide any romantic feelings they might have for each other. Didn’t he? If the prince’s romantic involvement with a maid was unacceptable to the king, what would Uther and the rest of Camelot’s elders think of Arthur having a relationship with his male servant? Who, by the way, had magic.

Elyan laughed. “Don’t worry, mate. We’ll all be very pleased when Arthur tells us he wants to make you his queen.”

Percival chuckled as well. “Oh yes, do tell us when the wedding will be. We’ll hold a tournament in your honour. Of course, you’ll need a lovely new dress for the occasion.”

“Shut up.” Merlin rolled his eyes at the knights, who laughed one more time, but then started talking about an ongoing bet they had with some of the older knights about which of the new batch of knights would be the first to lose his temper in practise and snap at Arthur.

As Percival and Elyan talked, Merlin started to worry that he and Arthur may never truly be able to be together. As many barriers as prevented Arthur from being with Gwen, the barriers that would prevent two men from falling in love were far more insurmountable. He and Arthur would have the benefit of private time in Arthur’s chamber, but beyond that, they would have to hide any trace of their feelings for one another.

The remainder of the ride was uneventful, and if Elyan and Percival noticed that Merlin was quieter than usual, they didn’t comment. When darkness began to fall, they made camp and Merlin was rescued from his depressing thoughts by focusing on the tasks of building a fire and preparing food.

After they had eaten and were settling on their mats, Percival sat up. “Hey, Merlin? You know we were just teasing you with all that stuff about you being queen.”

Merlin propped his head up to see Percival giving him a hesitant smile. Then Elyan sat up as well. “That’s right. Listen, if you and Arthur do want to be together, we won’t make fun of you.” He chuckled. “Well, we won’t make fun of you for that, anyway. I can’t promise we’ll never tease you again. That’s just what we do with our mates.”

Percival laughed, as well. “Exactly. We joke around, but we also look out for each other. And we’ll do the same for you, Merlin. And that includes keeping your secrets. All of them.”

Merlin peered into the faces of his friends, and he saw no judgment, no fear or disgust, only kinship and support. So he smiled his appreciation and said, “Thank you.”

They settled back down without another word and soon Elyan and Percival were asleep, but Merlin lay awake for some time, a totally new and unfamiliar feeling humming through his belly and under the surface of his skin. Never in his life had he been able to be completely honest with those around him. Never before had he felt that his contributions may be recognised and appreciated. And never before had he believed he would have a chance to experience true love.

He felt a combination of peace and excitement, like he couldn’t wait to see what the future held, because, for the first time, he was confident it would be something good.

The next morning, they got an early start, hoping to reach the bluff before dark. They rode into a mountain range and through a pass into a broad valley, but by mid-afternoon, dark clouds gathered overhead.

Merlin noticed Elyan glancing frequently toward the ominous sky. The climb to the top of the bluff would be challenging enough, but a storm would make the already dangerous task possibly deadly.

At the first flash of lightening, Elyan turned a pitiful stare toward Merlin. “I don’t suppose you can just—“ He waved one hand skyward. “Get rid of a storm, can you?”

Merlin squinted at the clouds. He had been wondering the same thing. “I summoned a thunderstorm once, so theoretically, it’s possible, although I don’t actually know any spells to banish a storm.”

He mentally ticked through any weather related spells he remembered reading about, and he didn’t realise he was still staring at the sky, muttering under his breath until he suddenly became aware of the total silence of his riding companions. He glanced over to see both Elyan and Percival staring at him in mild shock.

“You summoned a thunderstorm?” Percival asked, wide-eyed.

“Um, yeah. It was to stop this evil sorceress who was trying to kill Arthur.” Merlin tried to sound casual, as if striking a human being dead with lightning was not something that had haunted his nightmares for weeks afterward.

Elyan and Percival kept staring, as if they expected more of an explanation, but the sky lit up again and almost simultaneously, thunder shook the ground, and the horses started fidgeting anxiously. Large drops of rain began to fall as another streak of lightning pierced the clouds directly ahead of them.

Percival called out, “We should find cover,” indicating a clump of trees at the base of the mountains to their right.

They tied their horses and waited beneath the trees for the duration of the storm. When the worst of the clouds finally passed and the rain had slowed to a slight drizzle, Merlin and the knights started shaking out their jackets and capes and brushing down their trousers which were soaked through.

The storm had cooled the air and Merlin began to shiver, resigning himself to a miserable afternoon until his clothes dried, but then with a chuckle, he realised he was no longer stuck with depending on the laws of nature.

He waved a hand over himself. _"Forscrence wæta."_ And when Percival and Elyan turned to see what he had done, Merlin repeated the spell toward each of them, drying their clothes—even under their chainmail—instantly.

“Incredible.” Percival shook his head.

Elyan patted himself down, searching for any remaining dampness. Finding none, he gave a hearty laugh. “This is wonderful, Merlin! What exactly does Uther have against magic?”

Merlin gave a dry laugh. “Long story.” He answered shortly, unwilling to explain all the background behind Uther’s irrational hatred.

He saw Elyan and Percival exchange a curious glance, but thankfully, they left the subject alone.

“Well,” Percival peered out from beneath the clump of trees where they had sought refuge. “There’s no way we’ll make it to the bluff before dark, and in case that storm starts up again, I don’t want to be trapped out in the open.

“No, I don’t either.” Elyan also looked up at the still dark sky. “We might as well make camp here for the night.”

Merlin impressed the knights when he magically weaved branches to form a lean-to that would provide them shelter for the night should more storms arise, and again when he started a fire by speaking a single word over a pile of soggy wood. Much like Arthur had the day before, Elyan and Percival spent the evening asking Merlin question after question about his magic and the things he could do.

By morning the clouds had cleared, and Merlin and the knights had an easy trek across the valley into the mountains. They soon found the rock formation resembling a giant hand. Unfortunately the bluff on which it stood was much higher and steeper than Josson had described.

They stared up at the sheer rock wall. “You can’t climb that,” declared Percival.

Merlin agreed. “Even with my magic, I don’t think it will be possible.”

“Well,” Elyan sighed in resignation. “We’ll have to find another way.”

They spent a good part of the morning circling the base of the mountain until they found a more accessible path to the top. By the time they reached the rock formation and retrieved the jewel, the day was half over. They descended the mountain as quickly as they could and pushed their horses hard in order to return to Bellmare before the end of Kreksag’s last night.

When Merlin, Elyan and Percival arrived in the village well after dark, they discovered Arthur and his companions waiting for them in the tavern.

“We found the blue jewel.” Elyan held it out for Arthur to see. “Did you get the other three?”

But Arthur shook his head sadly. “We only have two. Gwaine retrieved the orange jewel from the cave, but there was too much ground to cover searching the river. That storm delayed our search quite a bit.” He sighed. “I sent Henry and his friends on to the ruins, and they were able to locate the crimson jewel, but we never could find the green one.”

He glanced at Merlin, eyes full of regret. “I wanted to give Kreksag the bad news myself. He should be waking soon for his last night.” Arthur motioned for Merlin to join him. “Let’s go out to say goodbye.”

The knights and villagers, including the children, said goodbye to Kreksag. When he returned to his spot that morning, he would not awaken again for another century. The people of Bellmare promised to keep the four jewels safe and to continue the search for the last one so that when Kreksag woke again, the next generation of villagers would be able to break the curse.

**The End**

_If you would like to give Merlin another chance, return to the end of the previous chapter and make a different choice!_    [**Return to Chapter 21.**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7742803/chapters/17747350#end)


	23. Chapter 23

“I only read about the dowsing rod once, but I think I remember the method to create it.” Merlin hoped he wasn’t fooling himself in thinking he might succeed. He would hate to let Arthur down.

“Excellent.” Arthur clapped him on the back. “You get to work on that, and I’ll tell the others we’ll wait until tomorrow morning to begin our searches. Since we’ll be here tonight, we can update Kreksag on our progress as well!”

Merlin remembered that dowsing rods were most effective when made from hazel wood, although willow would also work. “Excuse me!” He trotted over to the farmer who stood beside his barn feeding chickens. “Are there any hazel trees nearby?”

“There were a few down by the river, but they were smashed by that giant a few nights ago.”

The farmer shrugged apologetically, but Merlin was not dissuaded. “That’s fine. All I need are a few branches.”

Merlin enlisted Henry and his friends to help him pore through the splintered wood that remained from the hazel trees. “I need three or four evenly forked branches—small enough to carry easily, but not too small.”

After they found a few branches that seemed a suitable size and shape, Merlin found a quiet spot in the shade of an oak tree outside the village where he could focus to remember the spell. As he settled onto the soft grass, spreading the hazel branches before him, he heard Arthur approach.

“May I watch?”

Merlin’s stomach did a little flip as Arthur sat on the grass beside him, eager to watch him do magic. He turned a shy smile toward him. He had never believed he would be able to freely use his magic in front of the prince. It meant so much to him not to have to keep secrets from his friend anymore.

“Are you sure you won’t be corrupted sitting so close to a sorcerer using magic?”

Arthur nudged Merlin’s leg with his own. “I’m willing to risk it.”

Arthur quirked his eyebrows and held Merlin’s gaze, making Merlin suddenly very aware of his heart beating in his chest, until Arthur cleared his throat and turned his attention to the branches on the ground before them.

“So what are all these sticks for?”

Merlin peered thoughtfully at Arthur for a moment and then smiled, deciding he might as well go all out. “These are branches from a hazel tree. The druids have long believed that hazel trees hold the power of wisdom.”

He proceeded to tell Arthur an ancient druidic legend of nine hazel trees that grew around the Well of Wisdom and dropped their nuts into the water, where salmon ate them.

“Some druids believe anyone who ate one of those salmon would gain wisdom and even prophetic powers.”

As he spoke, Arthur stared at him, impressed. “How do you know all this?”

“Books, Arthur.” Merlin smirked. “You should think about cracking one open once in a while. Although, I guess you could just look for some salmon who have been feasting on hazelnuts.”

Arthur shoved his shoulder, but otherwise ignored his little joke. “What sort of spell do you have to do to make these hazel branches tell us where the jewels are located?”

Merlin laughed. “They’re not exactly going to speak up and give us a location. There’s a process, but hopefully if I remember the spell right, these rods will save us a bit of time.”

“Well then, get on with it!” Arthur smiled broadly and swept his arm dramatically over the branches.

Merlin focused inward, thinking about the curse and the jewels they sought. He closed his eyes and held both hands over the first branch. He spoke the words of the spell, opening his eyes on the last word to focus his magical energy into the crook of the branch. Unfortunately, at his magical push, the branch cracked down the middle, and Merlin sighed.

“I take it that wasn’t supposed to happen.” Arthur sounded amused.

“Well, no,” Merlin said. “That’s why we gathered several branches. Sometimes it takes a few tries to master a new spell.”

He tossed the broken branch aside and set up a new one, ready to try again, when he noticed Arthur giving him an odd look.

“What is it, Arthur?”

Arthur shook his head. “I was just thinking… How long might it take my knights to master a new technique if they were only permitted to practise in secret? If they always had to hide their skills.”

Merlin didn’t respond, but a warm sense of gratification stirred within his chest, and this time when he focused his magical energy on the branch, he felt confident the spell had succeeded.

******

“Merlin!” Teddy ran to catch Merlin as he and Arthur walked back into the village at sunset. “Me and Hilda want to stay up late so we can meet the giant, and Muriel says it’s okay with her if it’s okay with you. So can we? Can we please?” Teddy bounced up and down before them, his eyebrows halfway up his forehead.

Arthur laughed and tousled Teddy’s hair. “Well, what do you say, Merlin? How can you turn down such an excited little face?”

With a chuckle, Merlin threw his hands up in surrender. “I guess I can’t. It’s fine, Teddy. You and Hilda can stay up to meet Kreksag.”

Teddy cheered and ran off to find his sister. Arthur watched him, still smiling broadly, and Merlin felt, not for the first time, that if Arthur ever had a son, he would be such a good father. He would be the opposite of Uther in almost every way, and his son would grow up secure in the knowledge of his father’s unconditional love.

A pang of guilt struck Merlin at that moment, however. If he and Arthur did end up together, would Arthur be throwing away any chance at fatherhood? Could Merlin do that to him?

“Come on.” Arthur tugged him toward the tavern. “Let’s grab some dinner. I’m hungry.”

Merlin laughed inwardly. He was getting ahead of himself. A couple of hours flirting with Arthur, and he was ready to plan their life together.

As soon as they walked into the tavern, Gwaine called out to them. “Arthur! Merlin! We got it!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a deep-orange coloured jewel. “I thought you were going after the other jewels. What happened?”

They joined Gwaine, Lancelot and Gwen, and Arthur explained the new plan. “Merlin has a way to save time searching for the jewels. Show them the dowsing rods you made.”

As they ate, they took turns using a dowsing rod to “locate” the amber jewel. The knights and Gwen delighted as the rod dipped toward the jewel even when it was placed on the floor beneath the thick wood of the table.

“Put it under the floorboards, and Gwen, you sit on it!” Gwaine shoved the jewel into Gwen’s hands, and she giggled as she sat cross-legged on the floor while Lancelot walked her direction holding out one of the hazel branches.

“Oh Lancelot, does she make your rod tingle?” Gwaine gave a hearty laugh at his own bawdy joke, but he quickly sobered, looking in Arthur’s direction. “Sorry.” He glanced back and forth between Arthur and Lancelot.

The moment could have been awkward, but fortunately, Arthur waved a hand casually. “No, no. Carry on.” He grinned broadly, winking at Gwen.

Merlin was pleased to see the dowsing rod he created consistently dip toward the jewel, no matter where it was hidden, but he was even more pleased to see Arthur joining in the easy laughter and banter as Lancelot and Gwen shared flirty smiles and touches.

“Hey Percival!” Gwaine shouted to his friend when he, Leon and Elyan joined them in the tavern. “Come here. You’ve got to see this great stick Merlin made.”

He demonstrated the branch’s dowsing power by dropping the jewel into Merlin’s abandoned tankard of ale, and all three knights expressed their amazement as they felt the rod vibrate and dip toward the jewel, even when Gwaine slid the tankard under the table.

Elyan carefully examined the hazel branch and asked Merlin why he selected this particular type of wood and whether the shape made a difference and how he learned the spell needed to endow the branch with dowsing ability.

Leon simply shook his head. “All this time on our quests, you’ve been watering the horses and preparing our food. You could have been contributing so much more.”

“He has.” All heads turned toward Lancelot, who gave a wary smile. “You have no idea how many times Merlin has saved all our lives. He’s just had to do it all in secret.”

Gwaine rubbed his hands together and put both his elbows on the table, leaning toward Merlin. “I sense some juicy stories.”

“Another time, perhaps.” Arthur stood, placing a hand on Merlin’s shoulder. “Merlin and I are taking the kids out to meet Kreksag tonight. Come to the field and join us later, so we can solidify our plans for the searches tomorrow.”

Merlin followed Arthur out of the tavern, wondering why he felt they had to head out right then. They still had at least an hour before Kreksag woke. But Arthur didn’t say anything to him as they rounded up Hilda and Teddy. The kids were bouncing around excitedly as they headed out of the village to the base of Kreksag’s mountain.

“How long until he wakes up?” Teddy asked at least six times while they walked.

As Arthur settled onto the ground to wait, he called to Teddy. “It’s still a good hour or so. Why don’t you and your sister see how fast you can run across this field?”

“Race you!” Teddy took off, his little legs almost a blur as he bolted across the field.

“No fair! You got a head start!” Hilda shouted, although she soon caught up with her brother, since she was older and her legs were several inches longer.

Merlin chuckled, plopping onto the dirt beside Arthur. “They’re going to be so tired they’ll fall asleep before Kreksag wakes up.”

“Nah.” Arthur shook his head. “They’re too excited. What kid wouldn’t be excited to meet a giant?”

They watched the children in silence for a few moments before Merlin decided simply to confront Arthur about his rapid exit from the tavern.

“So I guess you don’t want to hear me tell stories of how I’ve saved Camelot dozens of times over?”

Still watching the children, Arthur smiled with a thoughtful hum. “I do want to hear those stories.” He turned to face Merlin. “I just wanted to be the first one to hear them. Besides Lancelot, I suppose.”

Feeling suddenly bold, Merlin scooted over and hooked his arm around Arthur’s. “Lancelot doesn’t know most of the stories. He has witnessed a few of my magical exploits, but I didn’t exactly sit him down and tell him everything.” Merlin turned his head back toward the giggling, racing children. “There’s a lot more to protecting Camelot than creating dowsing rods and tripping a few bandits. I’ve had to do some things I’m not particularly proud of.”

Arthur wrapped a warm hand around Merlin’s forearm, caressing it gently with his thumb. “Believe me, I know about making tough decisions when you’re in a position of power. If you’re willing to tell me about these things you’ve done, I promise I’ll listen, and I won’t judge.”

Merlin was quiet for a moment. Hilda and Teddy had stopped racing and now appeared to be busy with some sort of imaginary quest, and Kreksag wouldn’t wake for nearly an hour, so they had some time. So Merlin took a deep breath and started at the beginning, when he used his magic to drop a chandelier on the Lady Helen to keep her from killing Arthur.

He told Arthur about turning an axe on Edwin to protect himself and rescue Gaius from the flames. He explained that he had only meant to expose the witchfinder as a liar, but his ploy inadvertently led to Aredian’s death.

And Arthur listened, as he had promised. He did not recoil in fear or disgust. He continued stroking Merlin’s arm and making soft, sympathetic noises. So Merlin told him about Nimueh. He told Arthur how he had gone to the Isle of the Blessed with the express intent to kill her. He knew that magic required a life for a life, and he would do whatever it took to protect the lives of those he loved, so he struck her down with a bolt of lightning.

“I couldn’t sleep for days afterward.” Merlin had never admitted this to anyone— not even Gaius. “I kept having nightmares and seeing her face as that lightning struck. She kept turning into me. I wondered if I was just as evil as her.” He took a deep shuddering breath. “That was the first time I wanted someone dead and then acted on it.”

Arthur squeezed his arm, pulling him close. When he spoke, his voice was gentle and intimate. “You are not evil, Merlin. These things you’ve done… none of them were for personal gain. You’ve never hurt someone in order to gain power for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with stopping someone who is hurting others.”

Merlin’s eyes filled with tears, and he leaned his head on Arthur’s shoulder, so Arthur wouldn’t see his tears spill down his cheeks. He was so grateful for Arthur’s understanding, although he couldn’t help wondering if that understanding might have limits. Would Arthur forgive him so easily if he knew Merlin had released the dragon? Or if he knew Merlin had known for more than a year about both Morgana’s magic and her status as Uther’s daughter?

Merlin told himself that Kreksag might wake up at any moment, so he didn’t have time to get into these things with Arthur tonight, but really he knew that he was afraid the more he explained the more likely it was that he would see a look of betrayal on Arthur’s face that would break his heart.

Before long, Hilda and Teddy began to slow down, and soon they came to sit on the grass beside Merlin and Arthur. As midnight approached, Teddy’s voice starting to take on a definite whine and Arthur began to tense up, his own tiredness making his patience short, but thankfully before he snapped at Teddy, the mountain beside them shifted.

At first all they could see was a shapeless darkness that seemed to pull at their eyes, so Merlin called out the spell to remove the glamour, and suddenly their new friend stood before them, eyes scouring the ground anxiously, feet unmoving.

“Kreksag!” Arthur called to him. “We’re down here!”

The giant twisted to face them and then knelt carefully, a broad smile lifting his face. “You’re still here! I wasn’t sure if you would still be willing to help me figure out that curse.”

“Of course we’re going to help you.” For Arthur, there was never a question of helping those in need. “In fact we’ve already made some progress. The words of the curse you remembered were referring to a cave. Hilda here figured that out.”

He beckoned the children to join him. “Kreksag, these are my friends Hilda and her brother, Teddy.”

The children stared in awe at the giant, and Kreksag bowed his head. “I’m pleased to meet you. Thank you for your help.”

“How tall are you? How far can you see? Can you see the top side of the clouds?” Teddy was jumping up and down. “If you step in a river, does all the water splash out?”

“Teddy!” Hilda admonished her brother. “You have to give someone a chance to answer your question before you ask them another one.”

But Kreksag laughed. “No, it’s okay, little friend. Let me see… I think I am one hundred and twenty feet tall. Before I was cursed, I remember that I could see across many fields, but I had to avoid thick forests, because there was not room for me to walk between the trees. The clouds are still taller than I am. And I do make quite a large splash, but rivers have much water to spare.”

Teddy beamed and opened his mouth as if ready to ask another stream of questions, but Arthur clapped a hand on his back. “I promise you’ll have time to talk to Kreksag some more, Teddy, but for now, will you give me a chance to fill him in on our new quest?”

The children sat on the grass, still entranced by the giant, while Kreksag found a safe place to sit, so Merlin and Arthur could climb onto his knee where they could converse with him more easily.

“In the cave, we found a list of clues leading us to five jewels we will need to break the curse. We believe we have deciphered all the clues, and Merlin has created some tools that should help us locate them,” Arthur explained. “However, the clues also mentioned an amulet into which we will need to place the jewels, and we have no idea where to find it.”

“What would the amulet look like?” Kreksag asked.

Merlin spoke up. “We don’t know, but it would need five settings, one for each gem. And I suspect it will be engraved with the spell necessary to undo the curse.”

“Might it look like this?” Kreksag held out his hand, wiggling his ring finger.

Merlin and Arthur leaned forward at the same time to get a closer look. Tattooed on Kreksag’s finger was a shape of a pentagram. Within each point was a circle, and within the centre, words. Merlin nodded slowly. Surely this must be the amulet they would need.

But Arthur looked horrified. “Are we supposed to jam the jewels into his flesh?”

“Of course not!” Merlin couldn’t help laughing at the prince. “He turns to earth and stone every day, Arthur. Most likely, we will find a physical amulet in the location of his finger if we climb the mountain by day.”

Arthur shook his head, embarrassed, and murmured, “Right. Magic.”

“So where will we find the five jewels?” Kreksag asked.

“We already have two of them.” Arthur dug into his pocket and fished out the violet and amber jewels, holding them up for Kreksag to see. Then he read aloud the list of clues.

When he got to the clue that said, _A giant’s finger points toward the sky. You’ll find the blue jewel perched on high_ , Kreksag held up his hand again, pointing his index finger and frowning at it.

“Will it be on my finger in the daylight?”

Arthur smiled. “Actually, we believe this time the clue is referring to a different kind of giant. There is a rock formation nearby that resembles a giant hand. It sits atop a steep bluff, so it will require a treacherous climb to reach it, but tomorrow morning I am going to send two of my best knights to attempt to retrieve the jewel.”

Kreksag nodded thoughtfully. “How tall is this bluff? Perhaps I could reach the giant’s hand, and then you wouldn’t have to risk the lives of your knights.”

Merlin and Arthur looked at one another in complete disbelief. How had they not thought of this?

Arthur laughed. “I think that’s a great idea, Kreksag. You’ll have to forgive me. I am accustomed to solving problems through more conventional means. It may take me a while to get used to the fact that magic and magical beings can often provide excellent solutions.”

He glanced at Merlin with a hesitant smile, and Merlin beamed back at him.

******

Several hours later, after Arthur had sent Elyan and Percival off with Kreksag in search of the blue jewel, and after Arthur had carried a sound-asleep Teddy all the way from the field to Muriel’s house, Merlin and Arthur once again settled onto the blanket in the small barn where they had slept that morning. This time, Merlin pressed himself against Arthur without hesitation, and Arthur swung his arm up and under Merlin’s head, so Merlin could rest on his shoulder.

“I hope the bluff isn’t too tall for Kreksag.” Merlin said, trying to keep his voice even while his stomach was doing flips.

“Well, even if it is, Kreksag said he might be able to lift Elyan to the top or at least close enough to climb the rest of the way.”

Merlin laughed. “I never thought Percival would look tiny, but sitting on Kreksag’s shoulder? He looked almost like a child’s doll!”

“He did.” Arthur chuckled as well, rubbing his hand up and down Merlin’s arm.

Heart thumping rapidly, Merlin wanted to ask Arthur what he was feeling. He wanted to know what Arthur’s recent flirting and affectionate touches might mean. Merlin knew, of course, that Arthur cared for him, but he was beginning to believe Arthur might want more than friendship, which was something Merlin had never dared allow himself to hope for until these last two days.

He pressed his face into Arthur’s shoulder and drew in a breath, the familiar, sweaty scent giving him a heady sort of courage. He raised up slightly, ready to confront Arthur about his suspicions, but Arthur’s eyes were closed, and he was breathing deeply, already asleep.

With a secret smile, Merlin debated placing a kiss on Arthur’s cheek, but he decided to wait. He wanted their first kiss to be when Arthur was awake and wanted to kiss him, too, so he settled back onto Arthur’s shoulder and let himself relax into Arthur’s warmth until sleep overtook him.

******

The next morning, Merlin woke, one leg slung pleasantly over Arthur’s. He would have liked to snuggle close and settle in for a few more hours sleep, but they were both anxious to find out whether Elyan, Percival and Kreksag had been successful in their quest, so they got up, brushing straw from their clothes and walked toward the town centre. As they approached the tavern, they heard a joyous cheer and laughter from inside. Exchanging a hopeful glance, they picked up their pace.

They stepped into the tavern to see Elyan standing on one of the benches, holding up the blue jewel, still embedded in a small chunk of stone.

“You got it!” Merlin called as Elyan stepped down from the bench to hand the jewel to Arthur. “Did everything go smoothly, then?”

“Oh, it was amazing!” Elyan beamed. “It felt like we were flying like birds!”

Percival came up behind Elyan and put a hand on his shoulder. “Elyan isn’t used to being taller than anyone, let alone taller than _everyone!"_

“Oh, very funny.” Elyan gave Percival a shove, but he couldn’t seem to stop smiling.

“Well done, both of you.” Arthur said. “I assume Kreksag made it back to his spot before the sun rose?”

Elyan nodded. “Curled up, all safe and sound.”

“Excellent.” Arthur gestured for the knights to return to the table, and he and Merlin took seats as well. “That only leaves two more jewels. The one in the river and the one at the ruins.” He turned to his right. “Leon, I would like you to lead several parties to the river. Take the dowsing rods Merlin created and split up, searching every bend. And I’d like to send Henry and his friends to climb Kreksag’s mountain to find the amulet -- it should be around the location of the ring finger on his right hand.”

“Thank you, sire.” Leon bowed his head slightly. “I’ll take some of the villagers in addition to knights. The more people we have searching, the better our chances of success.”

Arthur agreed. “You may all go with Leon to search the river. Merlin and I will head out to the ruins. According to Josson, it will be a two day journey: a day there and a day back. We’ll leave as soon as we’ve eaten, because two days is all Kreksag has left.

“In case we’re cutting it close on our return, I want everything ready to place the jewels into the amulet. Gwen, will you ask Hilda to use the spell Merlin taught her to remove the blue jewel from its stone? And have her do the same once you have the green jewel from the river.”

The group finished their breakfast quickly and left the tavern, each focused on their own task. Leon gathered villagers and knights to search the river. Several of the teenagers from the village joined Henry to retrieve the amulet. And Merlin prepared a small bag of food and supplies for his and Arthur’s journey.

“But I want to go with you!” Merlin heard Teddy whining at Arthur when he returned to the town centre. “Why can’t me and Hilda come to the ruins, too?”

Arthur heaved a slightly annoyed sigh, and Merlin looked at him amused, trying to remind him with a grimacing shrug that seven year olds who only got a few hours of sleep the night before required a little extra patience.

“Sorry, Teddy.” Arthur patted him on the back soothingly. “I need Hilda here to use her magic to remove all the bits of stone from the jewels, so they’ll be able to fit into the amulet.” And then when Teddy started to protest that he could still join them, even if his sister couldn’t, Arthur said firmly, “And also, I am concerned that this journey might be too dangerous for children. I have a responsibility to keep my subjects safe, and I take that very seriously. You understand?”

Arthur’s authoritative voice must have gotten through to the little boy, because he nodded solemnly and didn’t say another word.

“You and your sister be good, okay? And we’ll see you in a couple of days.” Arthur gave Teddy a one-armed hug and then turned to Merlin. “I’ve got directions to the ruins from Henry. Are you ready?”

“All set.” Merlin patted the bag slung across his shoulder, and the two of them set off on their quest to find the jewel.

As they left the village and walked across the western fields in a comfortable silence, Merlin considered once again how quickly Arthur had accepted the usefulness of magic. Merlin wondered if perhaps it was Arthur’s friendship with Merlin that enabled him to look past the fears his father had instilled in him and see that magic could be a force for good. Perhaps destiny had paired the two of them so Merlin could prepare the Once and Future King to return magic to the realm.

But as they skirted the base of Kreksag’s mountain and continued walking toward Caerleon’s kingdom, Merlin wondered whether he might have it backward. Perhaps Arthur was destined to be a great king, because he had a heart willing to accept ideas that were different than what he was brought up to believe. Perhaps destiny had sent Arthur a sorcerer to aid him on his journey, because Arthur was prepared to accept that aid.

Whatever the cause, Merlin was exceedingly pleased with Arthur’s new attitude. From very early in their relationship, Merlin was happy to serve Arthur in any way he could, even when he had to hide his abilities, and now it seemed he could serve Arthur while freely using his magic.

As if he could hear Merlin’s thoughts, Arthur suddenly spoke up. “Tell me more stories. I’d like to hear more about the times you allegedly used your magic to save my arse. I suspect you might be exaggerating about your contributions.”

Raising his eyebrows at Arthur’s challenge, Merlin drew in a deep breath. “Well, remember when Jarl captured us and he made you and Gwaine fight each other? Didn’t you think it was oddly coincidental that the ropes caught on fire, distracting everyone so we could escape?” He gave Arthur a pitying look.

“And at the Castle of Fyrien, when Morgause was trying to kill you with a pillar of flames, you thought her magic backfired and caused a huge blast that knocked out her and Cenred? No. That was me.” He smirked at Arthur’s shocked confusion. “Oh, and remember a few years ago, when you tried to elope with that Sophia girl the day after you met her? I didn’t knock you out with a lump of wood.” Merlin laughed. “I used magic to defeat her and her father, who by the way, were both powerful magical beings descended from the Sidhe of Avalon.”

Arthur started chuckling, shaking his head in disbelief.

But Merlin wasn’t finished. “Also, remember that time you had me thrown in the cells, because I tried to warn you about that slimy Cedric you kept mooning over? I tried to tell you that he had been possessed, but you wouldn’t listen. You just thought I was angry because he was a better servant than me.”

Arthur had stopped walking and was holding back laughter, clearly amused by Merlin’s growing frustration, but Merlin was too wound up now to slow down.

“While you and the rest of your knights were lying unconscious in the courtyard, who do you think defeated the most powerful sorcerer in Camelot’s history? Me, that’s who! Sigan was offering me all sorts of power and glory, and meanwhile, you kept telling me how lazy and incompetent I was. But I still saved your sorry arse.”

Merlin realised that his voice had raised to nearly a shouting level, and suddenly he felt a little silly. Arthur’s smug grin wasn’t helping.

“Are you finished?”

“No.” Merlin huffed. “There’s plenty more, but I’ll shut up now, because you’re enjoying this too much.”

Arthur stepped closer to him, still grinning. “I would like to officially apologise for taking you for granted all these years. You are obviously extremely competent...” His eyes began to twinkle. “At pretending to be a clumsy idiot.” And he turned and started walking again.

Merlin rolled his eyes at the back of Arthur’s head, but he followed him.

After a few yards, Arthur said, “Although I never thought Cedric was a better servant. Maybe I was just trying to make you jealous.” He threw a suggestive smirk over his shoulder.

So Merlin trotted to catch up. “Well, come to think of it, I do actually enjoy saving your arse.” He made a show of glancing down at Arthur’s backside. “It is rather a nice one, after all.” And he picked up his pace, walking ahead so Arthur wouldn’t see his cheeks burning pink.

For the rest of the day, Merlin felt like he was floating on air. As he and Arthur walked, they talked about Camelot, about this quest and about Merlin’s magic, and through all their conversations was a tone of joyfulness. An untouchable hope for the future. Merlin got a strong sense that from here on out, no matter what he and Arthur faced, they would face it fully together for the first time since Merlin arrived in Camelot.

When they stopped to eat lunch, Arthur joked about what kind of bribes he might have to offer the council of elders to allow him to appoint Merlin his Court Sorcerer. As they passed a small farming village, Arthur wondered aloud whether any of the local farmers were also sorcerers and what Caerleon might think of the use of magic in his kingdom.

Merlin’s heart soared as Arthur talked freely about possible uses of magic once he was king, and Merlin’s stomach did somersaults at Arthur’s twinkling smiles and flirtatious banter. And his cheeks ached. He felt certain he had smiled more this day than any other day of his life.

“What are we going to do with Kreksag after we break the curse?”

“What do you mean?” Arthur asked.

“Well, he can’t just keep sitting in the same spot all the time, and someone his size can’t help destroying things as he moves, albeit not on purpose.”

“You said it that first night, Merlin. We’ll have to arrange a compromise between Kreksag and the people of Bellmare so he has the space and resources he needs to survive without damaging their crops. And perhaps there’s something he can help the villagers with.”

They walked across a large field, thick with wild grass, and talked for a while about what it would be like to live in a village with its very own giant, and Merlin thought about how rarely he had seen this easy-going, laughing Arthur, and how much he wished things could always be this way. But he knew that as soon as they returned to Camelot, they would be returning to a world where Uther’s laws still held. A world where Arthur felt the pressure of ruling his father’s kingdom. And although Arthur hadn’t mentioned her in several days, Merlin knew he still worried about what Morgana might be planning and the trouble she might cause.

“There’s a storm gathering.”

Merlin’s head jerked toward Arthur wondering if he had accidently expressed his worries about Morgana aloud, but Arthur was looking toward the sky. Ah. He was not referring to a metaphorical storm so much as the dark clouds sweeping in above their heads.

“We should pick up the pace,” Arthur said. “We’re too exposed out in this field.”

They started walking more briskly and veered off course toward a clump of trees along a small hill on the opposite side of the field. Drops of rain began to fall around them and when they were halfway to the hill, the sky lit up and a crash of thunder followed almost immediately. Exchanging a glance, both men broke into a run, but before they reached the cover of the trees a wall of water seemed to catch up with them, soaking them as they ran.

Streaks of lightning danced in the clouds above, making Merlin’s skin tingle. When he and Arthur arrived at the small group of trees, he realised that, although the branches did slow the rain a bit, the trees would not provide any protection from lightning. Arthur was also peering around in search of more substantial cover.

Merlin eyed the sharp slope of the hill, and he remembered a spell he had read about once. He knelt down and placed his hand directly onto the grass, reaching his magic into the earth itself.

_ "Ic ábiddee áhole drós ætíece syll." _

Immediately, the soil beneath his hand began to shift. As he stepped back, cracks appeared in the earth and the dirt fell away, opening a hole that grew larger and deeper, forming a passage into the side of the hill. Then the dirt around the edges seemed to solidify, packing tightly until a sturdy tunnel led into a perfect burrow just large enough for two men.

“What the hell, Merlin?” Arthur was completely in awe.

“It’s safe.” Merlin reached for Arthur’s hand and tugged him toward the tunnel. “Trust me.”

He looked back with a quick smile before crawling into the tunnel on his hands and knees. Arthur followed and once they were safely inside, Merlin waved his hand over both of them, drying their clothes instantly.

They settled on the warm, dry earth, facing one another while the storm raged just feet away from their safe haven. Arthur stretched his legs out in front of him, taking most of the room in the tiny burrow, so Merlin sat with his legs tucked beneath him. He watched Arthur, expecting him to be shocked or possibly even impressed by the things Merlin had just done, but instead, a deep sadness filled Arthur’s eyes. For a moment, Arthur sat unmoving and didn’t say anything, but then, “My father is deeply delusional and unequivocally wrong about magic.”

Merlin sighed. He scooted forward and took both of Arthur’s hands in his own. “Yes, Uther is wrong about magic. However, I wouldn’t say he’s delusional.” Merlin paused for a moment, trying to think of just the right way to help Arthur understand. “More like… damaged.”

Arthur closed his eyes, so Merlin explained what he meant. “He’s been hurt by magic. Hurt very deeply. And that pain has made him close off both his heart and his mind to the possibility that magic could be anything but evil.”

After another few moments of silence, Arthur looked up, meeting Merlin’s gaze. “I wish I could tell him all the ways you’ve used your magic to help others, but I don’t think there’s anything I could say to make him change his mind.” Arthur squeezed Merlin’s hands. “When we return to Camelot, I’m afraid you’ll still have to hide.”

Merlin nodded. He knew this already.

“But from now on,” Arthur continued, his eyes beginning to twinkle. “You’ll have me to help. If you have to make any more… What did Gaius call them? Trips to the tavern?” They both laughed. “I’ll go with you. From now on, we face every foe together.”

The gaze they shared was so intense, in that moment, Merlin felt invincible.

“What about this?” Merlin glanced down at their entwined hands, stroking his thumb up and down. “Us.”

Arthur stilled and cast his eyes downward, so Merlin started to pull back.

“Sorry. I misunderstood.”

Merlin tried to look away, his cheeks warming, but Arthur caught his face and turned it back toward him. His fingers moved gently across Merlin’s cheek and traced his lips for a moment before Arthur dropped his hand back to his side.

“You didn’t misunderstand. But it’s complicated.”

Merlin nodded. “Gwen.”

“Not Gwen. She loves Lancelot, and she knows how I feel about you. She actually encouraged me to tell you.”

Merlin’s heart was beating so fast, he thought it would race right out of his chest.

“But you know the laws and the customs in Camelot. And you also know what my father would do if he found out.” A deep crease formed in Arthur’s forehead and Merlin fought the urge to reach up to sooth it away. “I can’t ask you to be with me when we would have to keep the whole thing secret.”

Leave it to Arthur to create problems where none existed. Merlin made his face very serious, nodding thoughtfully. “Hmm. I see what you mean. Although, I’m not certain, but I suspect I might not be half bad at keeping secrets.”

Finally Arthur smiled, rolling his eyes. “Obviously what I meant was that I worry you might be weary of keeping secrets, and you might not want another big secret to have to keep.”

Merlin was quiet for a bit, tossing a few teasing responses around in his head, but in the end, he decided this moment called for a serious answer.

“Arthur, I just want to be with you.”

Arthur sat very still, examining Merlin’s face as if he were trying to decide whether Merlin meant what he said. Merlin waited for Arthur’s decision, his breath very shallow and his lips very dry. Finally Arthur reached for Merlin’s hands again and smiled.

“Do you know when I first realised I was falling for you?”

“Hmm… I would guess the very moment you laid eyes on this gorgeous face?” It seemed Merlin couldn’t hold his teasing in for too long.

Arthur laughed, his restless fingers leaving tingling trails up and down Merlin’s forearm. “No. You had been working for me only a couple of months, and at training one day, you were standing on the sideline holding my mace for the next session. Sir Bedivere was berating one of the young squires for some minor offense, and you spoke up for the squire.” Arthur looked thoughtfully into Merlin’s eyes. “Bedivere was one of the oldest, most respected knights, although he had a tendency to mistreat those he viewed as beneath him. He trained with my father, and I always felt intimidated by him.

“But there you were, a servant, letting him know his behaviour was unacceptable. And when he turned his ire on you, you stood your ground— back straight and head held high.”

Merlin scoffed. “He had me thrown in the stocks for that.”

“I know. I assumed you would learn your lesson and remember your station in future.”

“But I didn’t, did I?” Merlin clicked his tongue. “That particular lesson never seemed to sink in.”

Arthur didn’t seem at all bothered, though. He scooted closer, gripping Merlin’s hands firmly. “I knew there was no possibility of anything happening between us, so I tried to ignore my feelings, but you made that difficult. The way you look at me sometimes, Merlin. I thought you must feel the same.”

“You do know me well.” Merlin said. He didn’t even have to think about when he started falling for Arthur, because it happened all at once. His love for this man hit him like a ton of bricks. “When I first met you, you were so arrogant and so rude.”

“Thanks. You sure know how to compliment a man, Merlin.”

“Let me finish, you prat.” Merlin jabbed Arthur in the ribs. “I didn’t want to like you. When I found out about our destiny, I thought it must be a mistake. There was no way this spoiled prince was meant for such greatness.”

Arthur put on his best pouty face, and Merlin couldn’t help laughing. “But I was so attracted to you. I mean, look at you!” He ran one hand down Arthur’s broad chest, and Arthur’s lips curled into the crooked smile that Merlin loved so much.

“I was starting to come around and think maybe it wouldn’t be so bad serving you, after all, and then I caught Valiant using magic to cheat in the tournament, and I knew you were in danger. When I told you, you had only known me for a couple of weeks, and I was only a servant, but…” Merlin paused. The memory of that moment still filled him with awe after all these years. “You believed me.” Merlin looked at Arthur, whose strength and compassion never failed to amaze him, and he smiled. “And that was it. I was done for.”

They held one another’s gaze as they processed these confessions of poorly hidden affection, and then they were kissing. Arthur’s hands were on Merlin’s cheeks and in his hair, and Merlin’s fingers traced the muscles in Arthur’s back. Their kiss wasn’t particularly long or passionate, but somehow it was perfect. The press of their lips was tender and spoke promises of faithfulness and adoration. 

Merlin finished with two feather-light kisses to the corner of Arthur’s mouth which made Arthur snicker and pull Merlin back in to plant one more sloppy kiss on his lips.

“It’s stopped raining.” Arthur jerked his head toward the entrance to the tunnel.

“So it has.”

“We should continue toward the ruins.”

Arthur stroked his hands up and down Merlin’s arms, seeming reluctant to leave the cosiness of their little burrow, but they both knew that time was precious if they were to help Kreksag. So they pulled away from one another and Arthur started crawling out with Merlin following behind him. Just before Arthur reached the exit, he waggled his backside and whipped his head around to grin at Merlin.

“Enjoying the view?”

Merlin swatted one firm cheek, holding back a laugh. “Keep moving, Prince Bighead.”

Arthur laughed, but after he climbed out of the tunnel, he reached back to help Merlin exit. After they were both out, Merlin turned back and cast the spell to fill in the hole, restoring the hill to its previous state. They resumed their path across the large field until they reached a thick forest.

“According to Henry, the ruins should be on the other side of these woods,” Arthur said.

“The Haunted Woods,” Merlin pointed out. “Didn’t he call them the Haunted Woods?”

“Yes, fine, but I’m not worried, are you? After all, I’ve got a sword and you’ve got magic. We’re prepared to face any foe.” Arthur’s gaze was warm.

“Together.” Merlin nodded his head firmly, and side by side, they entered the forest.

As they hiked along the overgrown path, Merlin understood how this forest had come by its haunted reputation. The trees were so thick overhead that very little light reached the forest floor, and the limited sunlight dappled the moss-covered ground giving the appearance of constant movement just at the edges of Merlin’s eye-line.

The dense foliage dampened the normal forest sounds. Even their footfalls seemed to disappear into the air. They walked in near silence until a far-off screech ripped through the stillness, causing Merlin to jump in surprise.

“I think it was a falcon.” Arthur sniggered.

“Shut up.”

Arthur peered into the woods ahead of them. “It is eerie in here, though, isn’t it?”

Another screech sounded, closer this time, and Merlin furrowed his brow. “I’m not sure that is a falcon.”

“You think it’s a ghost?” Arthur said in a mocking tone. “Are you scared, Merlin? Do you need me to hold your hand?”

Merlin rolled his eyes, but then he spun on Arthur. “Actually that sounds nice.” He held out his hand, daring Arthur to follow up on his offer.

But Arthur simply shoved Merlin as he pushed past him, so Merlin caught up, giving Arthur a gentle shove in return. As they walked, they roughhoused a bit, although their touches were more lingering than they used to be. Merlin soon forgot about the ghostly falcon as he and Arthur teased their way through the forest until they could see brighter light peeking through the trees ahead.

“Is that a clearing?” Arthur walked toward the light. “Merlin, I think I see a bit of stone wall ahead.”

As they reached the edge of the woods, they saw the ancient castle before them. Most of the walls had crumbled, leaving only pieces of the centremost stronghold and one disintegrating tower. Parts of the grey stone were hidden by moss and ivy, and the grass grew tall around the base of the citadel. Even in its heyday, this castle was nowhere near as large as Camelot, but what remained held a certain grandeur.

“This is it! Let’s go find that jewel.” Arthur strode briskly into the clearing.

But the moment he stepped out of the cover of the forest, another screech tore through the air and an enormous wyvern swooped down from the top of the trees, knocking Arthur to the ground. Merlin ran toward him, but another wyvern dove, and he had to duck out of its way.

Arthur scrambled to his feet and drew his sword, ready to do battle. He swung his blade at the first wyvern as the second one circled around and started diving again.

“Merlin! Watch out!”

But now that the initial surprise of the attack had worn off, Merlin was prepared. He stood his ground, hands tightening into fists, and spoke in a voice as ancient as the dragons themselves, commanding them to cease their attack and flee.

_ "Nun de ge dei s'eikein kai emois epe'essin hepesthai." _

At his final word Merlin’s eyes flashed gold, and immediately, the wyverns whipped around and flew away, unable to disobey a Dragonlord’s orders. Merlin watched them for a moment and then dropped his gaze to Arthur who was staring, wide-eyed, back at him.

“Um, I didn’t mention it before, but… well… I’m a Dragonlord.” Merlin’s fingers began to fidget at his sides.

Arthur thrust his sword into the ground and started bearing down on Merlin, his expression so intense, Merlin couldn’t help taking a few steps backward.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, Arthur. It’s kind of a long story, but I can—“

Arthur stalked right up to him, grabbed onto his coat and pulled him into a kiss. This time, Arthur’s lips were fierce and insistent. Merlin was startled at first, but Arthur’s passion warmed him throughout, and he melted into the kiss. Their tongues were soon battling as Arthur slid his hands from the edges of Merlin’s coat to his arms, tightening his grip. He moaned into Merlin’s mouth, and Merlin’s own hands flew to Arthur’s hips, tugging their bodies together.

Merlin was starting to feel lightheaded when Arthur pulled back, almost panting. When he spoke, his voice was deep and raspy.

“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

And without another word, he spun on the spot, strode rigidly to retrieve his sword and continued toward the castle. Meanwhile, Merlin remained where he stood, as his legs felt too wobbly to move.

“Come on, Merlin!”

A thrill ran down Merlin’s spine at the sound of Arthur’s voice, but he managed to gain control of his feet and jog over to the ruins. Arthur was already scanning the outer walls, pushing back the ivy to examine each stone.

“The clue said the king’s blood stained the jewel when the castle fell, so I suspect it will be embedded in one of the inner walls.” Merlin pointed out as he walked past Arthur, trying to will the pink hue out of his cheeks.

Arthur joined him on the inside of the citadel, and together they inspected the stones, searching for the jewel. Occasionally, Merlin would look up at Arthur, flushing all over again as he remembered that kiss. Sometimes, Arthur would already be looking at him, and they would share a quick smile before turning back toward the stones.

Nearly an hour had passed and the sun was starting to set before Arthur called to Merlin. “Here it is. I’ve got it.”

Arthur was standing on a pile of broken rocks that may have once been stairs within the walls of the remaining tower. A third of the way up the wall, peeking out of a dark grey stone, was a crimson jewel. From the ground, Merlin called out the spell, and the jewel popped out of the stone and landed in Arthur’s outstretched hand.

“Thanks,” he said as he scrambled down from the rock pile. When he reached the bottom, Arthur handed the jewel to Merlin. “Hopefully the others have already found the green jewel and the amulet, so when we get back, we’ll be ready for you to break the curse, and Kreksag will finally be free.”

Merlin turned the jewel over in his hand and smiled at the thought of helping their new friend. Then he glanced toward the darkening sky. “Should we start heading back now?”

But Arthur shook his head. “No, it’s too late to set off tonight. We should camp here and then leave at first light.” He glanced at the sturdy walls surrounding them. “We should be safe right here in this tower. I don’t think we’ll need to build a fire.” He stepped close to Merlin and lowered his voice. “I suspect we’ll keep each other warm.”

And once again, Merlin’s legs turned to jelly.

For supper, they ate the bread and cheese Merlin had packed, and then they spread their bedrolls so close they almost overlapped and settled onto their sides facing one another. Arthur reached one hand forward and caught Merlin’s, playing gently with his fingers.

“Now, tell me how you became a dragonlord. I thought Balinor was the last one.”

Merlin smiled down at their twisting fingers instead of looking at Arthur’s face. “Balinor was my father.”

Arthur gasped. “Merlin.”

And so Merlin told him how he had felt going to meet his father for the first time, only to watch him die. And then he told Arthur about Kilgharrah. He told him about hearing the great dragon call to him and about going to him for advice. He chuckled fondly as he told Arthur about the dragon’s tendency toward frustratingly cryptic responses.

Arthur tensed and pulled away when Merlin told him about keeping his promise to release Kilgharrah and then having to watch him attack Camelot in return.

“When we faced the dragon that night, you told me I had dealt him a mortal blow, but that wasn’t the truth, was it?”

“You were knocked out, and for all I knew the rest of the knights were dead.” Merlin remembered his desperation that night. He felt responsible for all the lives lost but helpless to prevent Kilgharrah from killing again. “I didn’t know at the time whether I would be able to face him, but I reached inside, and I felt my father with me. In the ancient dragon tongue, I commanded Kilgharrah to cease his destruction. And then I insisted he show Camelot the same mercy I had shown him.”

“You showed him mercy,” Arthur murmured.

“I couldn’t kill him, Arthur. He’s the last of his kind.”

But Arthur reached for Merlin’s hand again, scooting closer. “No, I meant… That’s very you, Merlin. You mentioned you’ve wondered at times whether you were evil because of the things you’ve had to do.” He smiled. “Evil doesn’t show mercy.”

Merlin thanked fate for about the hundredth time for pairing him with this incredible man.

Arthur pressed a kiss to his forehead and then to his cheek before capturing his lips. They shared slow and sweet kisses, the soft sounds of smacking lips and contented sighs echoing off the walls of the tower. Neither seemed inclined to take the kisses further; for the moment, sharing this brand new intimacy was enough.

When they were ready to sleep, Arthur curled up behind Merlin, wrapping one arm around his waist and burrowing his face into the back of Merlin’s neck. Merlin fell asleep wondering whether they would ever be able to sleep this way once they returned to Camelot. He hoped so.

The next day, Merlin and Arthur travelled back to Bellmare, and with no storms or magical creatures to slow them down, they arrived in the middle of the afternoon. On the outskirts of the village, Teddy and Hilda were sitting on a fallen log with Gwen, watching for their arrival.

“They’re back! They’re back!” Teddy shouted as soon as they came out of the woods. He ran across to meet them. “Kreksag took us for a ride! We got to ride up on his shoulder! We were so high up in the air, and I wasn’t scared at all!”

Gwen smiled. “Muriel let the children stay up quite late so they could spend some time with Kreksag last night. And I’m not sure who enjoyed it more - the children or the giant!”

“Sounds like fun.” Arthur tousled Teddy’s hair. “Were the others successful? Do we have both the green jewel and the amulet?”

Gwen confirmed they did and Merlin and Arthur breathed sighs of relief.

“Excellent,” Arthur said, “Then we have everything we need. Merlin, can you break the curse right now, or will we have to wait until Kreksag awakens tonight?”

Merlin had wondered the same thing. “I will need to see the amulet. The spell itself might give me a clue.”

“Leon has the amulet and the four jewels,” Gwen said. “He and the other knights are in the fields, dismantling the wall you built the other night and helping the villagers clean up some of the destruction Kreksag accidently caused.”

“Then let’s head out to join them,” Arthur said. “Teddy, lead the way!”

As they started walking toward the field, Merlin saw Gwen give Arthur a questioning look, her eyes twinkling as she jerked her head toward Merlin. Arthur’s cheeks flushed slightly, and when he gave a firm nod, a thrilled “I told you so” smirk appeared on Gwen’s face.

Once they located the knights, Arthur gathered them all on the edge of the field and gently asked Hilda and Teddy if they would mind helping Henry carry some broken branches to a burn pile the villagers were building.

When Merlin checked the amulet, he recognised the words written in the centre as a spell to break a curse. He was relieved, as the thought had occurred to him that the amulet might simply be another clue that would lead them on yet another quest. Although he couldn’t quite pinpoint how, he sensed that Kreksag would need to hold the amulet while Merlin cast the spell.

“We will have to wait for nightfall to break the curse.” Merlin quickly explained the process to Arthur and the others.

The knights turned away to continue helping the villagers, but Arthur called them back. “Before we return to Camelot, I must make a somewhat delicate request. I know that as knights, you have promised to uphold Camelot’s laws and have pledged loyalty to the king.”

Gwaine spoke up. “Actually, if you recall, most of us here made no such promise to Uther. We pledged to serve you, Arthur.”

“To serve me is to serve my father.”

Gwaine and Elyan looked as though they disagreed with this statement, but they let Arthur continue.

“You all know well my father’s laws regarding magic.” Several eyes glanced at Merlin as Arthur spoke. “But I believe we can all agree that this quest has opened our eyes to a different perspective on magic and those who possess it.”

Arthur turned a slight smile to Merlin, but then looked hesitantly back at his knights. “I hate asking you to break the law, but—“

Leon interrupted. “Sire, if you’ll permit me to speak for the group. We discussed this issue amongst ourselves earlier today, and we agree that Merlin must be permitted to remain in Camelot serving you with his magic, as he has always done. We will all protect his secret.”

A deep sense of gratitude spread throughout Merlin as each knight spoke up to affirm his commitment to keeping Merlin’s magic secret. The faith and dedication of his friends threatened to overwhelm him, and he murmured a pinched thank you.

But Arthur spoke for him. “I thank you all for your loyalty both to me and to Merlin.”

“Don’t worry about it, Princess.” Gwaine crossed his arms, leaning back with a smirk. “We’ll keep _all_ of your secrets.” He looked back and forth between Merlin and Arthur, clicking his tongue and winking suggestively.

Merlin and Arthur’s heads shot up. Arthur threw a betrayed look at Gwen, but Gwaine laughed. “Put that glare away, Arthur. Gwen didn’t rat you out. Nobody had to. Don’t think we haven’t noticed all the yearning gazes. You two are not subtle.”

Lancelot began shifting back and forth from one foot to the other. Elyan and Percival could not seem to raise their eyes from the ground.

“Okay, so this bit we haven’t discussed,” Gwaine said. “But trust me, no matter what you two get up to in Arthur’s private chamber, we’ll keep our mouths shut.” He looked casually toward the others. “Won’t we, mates?”

An awkward murmur of agreement passed through the group, and Merlin thought his ears might actually burst into flame. A quick glance at Arthur confirmed that he was feeling no less embarrassed by Gwaine’s insinuation.

The prince, however, recovered more quickly than Merlin. He fixed Gwaine with a stern look. “I appreciate your discretion, Sir Gwaine, when it comes to Merlin’s magic, but I expect you to refrain from commenting on my personal life.”

Suitably chastened, Gwaine bowed his head in apology to Arthur.

“On an unrelated note,” Arthur continued, and a sudden sense of dread filled the pit of Merlin’s stomach as he recognised a change in Arthur’s tone. “It may interest you to know, I have recently acquired some valuable knowledge regarding sorcerers. This may not apply to all sorcerers, perhaps only to the most powerful among their ranks. It would appear, though, from the research I have conducted, that sorcerers are excellent kissers.”

If Arthur’s strategy was to defuse the awkwardness, it worked. The other knights joined him in laughter as he slung his arm over Merlin’s shoulder, pulling him toward the villagers still clearing out the fields.

They spent the rest of the evening assisting the villagers, and then after a last hearty dinner at the tavern, Merlin and the others waited once again for Kreksag to awaken.

“Breaking the curse will certainly change the local landscape, won’t it?” Arthur said, craning his neck toward the peak of the mountain that would hopefully cease to exist after this night.

Merlin nodded. “No more mountain. Instead there will be a giant living in its place. And two new children in the village. The people of Bellmare will have many changes to get used to.”

“They’re not the only ones.” Arthur pursed his lips together thoughtfully. “These last few days have been great, Merlin, but when we return to Camelot, you may find the changes aren’t quite what you expected. I’m not accustomed to keeping secrets like you are.”

Merlin’s throat clenched. Was Arthur changing his mind about the two of them being together? His concern must have shown on his face, because Arthur reached for his hand to apply a reassuring pressure.

“I only mean that it will be a big adjustment. You may have to be more patient with me than usual.”

“More patient than usual?” Merlin feigned horror. “Do you realise what you’re asking, Arthur? There’s not that much patience in all the five kingdoms.”

Arthur sprung from his spot on the ground and tackled Merlin. “Feeling patient now, Merlin?” He laughed as they tousled on the grass, and Merlin only half-heartedly fought back. Soon Arthur was on top of Merlin, pinning his arms to the ground on either side of his head. “You take a great risk when you ridicule your prince.”

Merlin’s laughter faded as he stared up into the face of the man he loved, and his heart tried its hardest to escape his chest as he realised how much he liked the feeling of Arthur’s weight on top of him. A slow smile spread across Arthur’s face, and he hitched his hips upward into Merlin’s just enough to make Merlin go breathless.

The moment was broken when Gwaine cleared his throat loudly from where he was sitting with Percival and Leon a few feet away. Arthur jerked away from Merlin and scrambled back to his place beside him. Merlin’s cheeks warmed as he sat up, straightening his coat and neckerchief.

He glanced sidelong toward Gwaine and the others, and Gwaine threw his hands up. “I didn’t say a word!”

Merlin bit back a smile and chanced a peek at Arthur. He was pursing his lips and staring stoically up at Kreksag’s mountain, but his cheeks were still pleasantly pink in the moonlight. Merlin was pondering all the things he might do to see that lovely hue again when Arthur spoke.

“It’s time.”

Kreksag had awakened. Merlin quickly removed the glamour, and the giant uncurled his arms and raised his head, looking hopefully toward the crowd of knights and villagers gathered in the field before him. “Did you get the last jewel, Merlin? Will you be able to break the curse?”

“We have everything we need, Kreksag. We can start whenever you are ready.”

Kreksag looked down at Merlin and his bottom lip started trembling. He simply nodded his head, too overwhelmed to speak, so Merlin gathered all the jewels and the amulet from the ground beside him.

“Hilda!” He motioned for the young sorceress to join him as he walked to stand directly at Kreksag’s feet. He felt certain he could perform the curse breaking spell on his own, but he wanted Hilda to have a chance to participate, since she and her brother had played such an integral role in helping Kreksag so far.

Merlin handed the violet jewel and the amber jewel to Hilda and kept the rest himself. “Kreksag, I’ll need you to hold the amulet. Place it in the palm of your hand, and hold your hand out before you, so Hilda and I can insert the jewels into their settings.”

Merlin explained the procedure to Kreksag and Hilda, telling each of them what role they would need to play in breaking the curse. Hilda kept looking nervously toward the crowd that had gathered, but when Merlin finished his instructions, she nodded resolutely, eager to do her part to help her new friend.

Kreksag lowered his hand to allow Merlin to drop the amulet into his palm and then he stood. Several of the villagers who had not yet seen him at his full height gasped in surprise. Merlin and Hilda took their places at his feet and a hush fell over the crowd.

Merlin looked to Hilda. “Ready?”

When she nodded, they both held their hands out and levitated all five jewels high into the air until they were hovering above Kreksag’s outstretched palm.

Merlin steeled himself and reached deep inside, tapping into the feelings of camaraderie and loyalty he felt for this fellow magical being. He summoned a power both ancient and uniquely his own and began speaking the words of the spell.

_ “The earth shall rise, to flesh restored.” _

Merlin lowered the violet jewel into its place setting in the amulet, and he thought he detected a slight glow emanating from Kreksag’s palm, but he was too focused on performing the spell to think much of it.

_“True form no longer in shadow obscured._  
_Away the need for a century’s rest_  
_With a mere fortnight to complete the quest.”_

As he spoke, Hilda lowered the green jewel and the crimson jewel one at a time. After each jewel slotted into place, the light around the amulet grew brighter and brighter until Kreksag’s face was lit with an eerie green glow.

_ “Penance now done, here’s the end to your woe.” _

When Merlin placed the blue jewel, the amulet flashed so bright, even the clouds in the night sky seemed illuminated from within. Kreksag blinked against the brilliant glare, but he held his position, determined to allow the curse to be broken.

Merlin drew from Kreksag’s strength, ready to lower the final jewel— the amber jewel— into its setting within the amulet. He felt the ancient sorcerer’s curse fighting back against him, almost as if it had a will of its own, but Merlin summoned his most powerful magic and shouted the final words of the spell.

_ “An ordinary life on the cursed I bestow.” _

A blinding flash lit up the night sky and a tremendous whirlwind sprung up around Merlin, Hilda and Kreksag. Merlin blinked hard against the dust whipping at his face. He heard Hilda cry out in fear, and he reached for her hand, pulling her close to wrap his coat around her head for protection against the fierce wind.

Although Merlin was unable to see Kreksag through the blinding light and turbulent windstorm, he flung one last burst of magical energy in the direction of the giant, shattering the remaining fragments of the curse.

The air around them seemed to roar in protest, but after one final blast, the wind died down and silence fell across the field.

It took Merlin a moment to gather himself and realise that the chaos that had surrounded them was over. He lifted open his coat and asked Hilda, “Are you all right?”

“I think so.” She said, rubbing her eyes to clear away the dust and debris. “Did you know that would happen? All that wind and light and noise?”

“No, I wasn’t expecting that.” Merlin chuckled, and he was relieved when Hilda laughed along with him. Together, they raised their heads and looked upward to see how Kreksag had weathered the storm.

But he wasn’t there.

And then a spluttering cough drew their eyes downward. Crouched on the ground in front of them was a man they had never seen. Merlin took a hesitant step toward him and when the man raised his head, Merlin’s heart leapt and Hilda gasped. It was Kreksag.

“You’re small!” Hilda said.

Kreksag stood, looking himself over, patting his arms and his chest and his stomach. “What happened to me?” He looked at Merlin, confused.

Before Merlin had a chance to answer, Arthur and the others ran up to join them. The knights were full of amazement.

“That was incredible!”

“Did you see that wind? It came out of nowhere!”

“And the sky was bright as midday!”

But Arthur was looking at Merlin as if wanted to devour him. Merlin felt a sharp heat spread through him as he made a mental note that displays of Merlin’s power seemed to turn Arthur on. He would definitely take advantage of that knowledge later on.

Merlin turned back toward Kreksag who was no longer giant, although, now that the initial shock had worn off, Merlin realised he was still larger than the average man. He was more than a head taller than Percival, and his shoulders looked twice as wide as Merlin’s.

“What happened?” Kreksag asked again. “Why did the spell make me small?”

Merlin reviewed the words of the curse-breaking spell in his mind, trying to decipher which part may have caused Kreksag to shrink. But then Teddy’s little voice piped up.

“He’s not small! He’s huge!”

And yes, to a young child, Kreksag must still appear quite massive.

“But at least he’s not so huge that he’ll crush things anymore.”

Teddy ran up to Kreksag, wrapping his arms around one trunk of a leg and squeezing tight. He tilted his head as far back as he could to look Kreksag in the face.

“Of course.” Merlin suddenly made the connection he had been missing. “The last part of the spell said that you would be given an ordinary life. Since there aren’t any other giants left, your life couldn’t be ordinary unless you were closer to human size.”

Kreksag looked down at his new smaller body and then glanced nervously at the villagers surrounding him before giving Merlin a hesitant shrug. “Will my new size help me to have a normal life?”

“I suspect so.” Merlin quirked his eyebrows with a hopeful smile. “ I must say, the people here are lovely, and I think Bellmare would be a nice place to call home.”

A murmur ran through the crowd and Josson stepped forward. “Why yes, Kreksag, you must make your home in Bellmare. We will help you build a house with a ceiling tall enough to accommodate your large stature.”

More villagers chimed in their agreement, and one of the older farmers spoke up. “If you don’t mind hard work, I could use a hand tending my fields. My back isn’t quite what it used to be.”

A slow smile began spreading on Kreksag’s face as the realization sunk in that he wouldn’t have to be alone. He could be part of this community. And he might even have something to contribute.

“Yes, Kreksag, stay! You have to stay!” Teddy started jumping up and down. “Me and Hilda are going to stay here and if you stay, too, we can be friends!”

Kreksag laughed and lifted Teddy high into the air, swinging him around. “I think I’d like that, Teddy.” He set him down and smiled gratefully at Merlin. “I haven’t had friends in a very long time, so I think I’d like to make Bellmare my home and get to know all the people here who helped me.”

Again Josson spoke, and this time he spoke loud enough for the whole crowd to hear. “We are happy to welcome all three of our new friends into our community. We know the laws of Camelot regarding magic and magical beings, but I believe we can all agree that this former giant and these two precious children pose no danger to our village or to anyone else. In Bellmare we look out for one another, don’t we?”

His last words were punctuated by a lowered chin and raised eyebrows as if he was challenging anyone to contradict him. But of course, no one did. The villagers gave hearty cheers to let Kreksag and the children know they were now under the steadfast protection of the citizens of Bellmare.

The villagers crowded around Kreksag to introduce themselves and welcome him, and Teddy clung to Kreksag’s leg, enjoying being in the middle of the action. But Merlin noticed Hilda standing off to the side watching quietly, so he made his way over to her.

“Thank you for your help tonight. You did very well.” He gave her a one-armed hug as she kept her eyes on her little brother. “For that matter, thank you for all of your help these last few days. I don’t think we could have saved Kreksag without you and Teddy.”

She shrugged but did not look at Merlin.

“I think you’ll like it here. The people are very nice and they feel so protective of you and your brother already. And I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Muriel loves you both.”

Hilda shrugged again, so Merlin leaned his head down and tapped her shoulder with the back of his hand. “Hey, what’s the matter?”

She bit her lip and stared at the ground, but Merlin waited patiently, hoping she would open up and tell him what was bothering her.

“You’re leaving tomorrow.”

Her voice was steady, and she didn’t explain further, but Merlin understood. She had gone her whole life feeling like an outsider, and then over the last few days, she finally had someone who understood what it meant to have magic. Before she met Merlin, the magic she used was simply instinctual, but Merlin taught her control and he taught her useful spells. She had a taste of what it might be like to develop her magical skills only to have that taken away. How would Merlin have felt if Gaius had abandoned him only a few days after he arrived in Camelot?

So he looked her straight in the eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Hilda. I do have to go back to Camelot. My duty is to Arthur.”

She nodded.

“And it’s much safer for you to stay here under the protection of these people and far away from those who remain loyal to the king’s laws regarding magic.”

Hilda nodded again, closing her eyes against tears, her lower lip quivering.

“But listen, I promise to visit as much as I can, and I’ll come back soon and bring you some books of magic so you can learn more spells.”

Hilda perked up at that, a tiny smile forming as she sniffled and wiped her eyes. Merlin pulled her into a hug. “I will miss you, though.” He almost wished he and Arthur could stay here in Bellmare with their new friends, away from the pressures of running a kingdom and the fear of Morgana attacking again.

After a while, several of the villagers broke away and started drifting back home. Merlin was talking with Muriel about allowing Hilda to keep practising her magic when he noticed Gwen and Lancelot strolling toward the village, their hands clasped between them. He glanced at Arthur to find him already looking at Merlin. Arthur tilted his head toward the happy couple and smiled his approval.

Before too long, Teddy’s mouth opened in a wide yawn that he tried to stifle, but Muriel caught him. “I think it’s time to get you home to bed, young man.”

“I’m not tiiiirrrred.” Teddy’s words were warped by another yawn, so Muriel took his hand to guide him and his sister back to their new home.

Feet dragging, Teddy suddenly changed his tactic. “I’m too sleepy to walk. Can Kreksag carry me?”

With a hearty chuckle, Kreksag surprised Teddy by sneaking up behind him and lifting the little boy into his arms. “I’ve only seen the village from above. I’m curious to find out more about my new home.”

So Kreksag walked with Muriel and Hilda as Teddy buried his face in Kreksag’s chest, sighing contentedly. Merlin’s heart swelled at the thought of these children, who had lost their parents at such a young age, finding a home with a mother figure who obviously cared for them deeply, as well as a sort of big brother who would certainly be a unique and loyal playmate.

Merlin hung back to take his place at Arthur’s side, the two of them bringing up the rear of the group heading back to town. “We did it.” Merlin bumped his shoulder against Arthur’s. “We broke the curse and now Kreksag can live a normal life. And just look at that wonderful new family. I’m so glad we were able to help.”

“It was you, Merlin.” Arthur’s voice was low, full of awe. “We never would have been able to accomplish this without you.”

“No.” As much as Merlin’s heart thrilled at any praise from Arthur, he didn’t feel comfortable taking sole credit for helping Kreksag and the children. “This was all a group effort. You and me, the knights and Gwen, the villagers and even the children. We all contributed to this victory.”

“Yes, but all our efforts would have been for naught had it not been for your powerful magic.” Arthur wouldn’t allow Merlin to be humble. “In order to resolve this situation in a peaceful manner, magic was required.” He sighed, and Merlin knew he was thinking about his father, perhaps wishing Uther could have witnessed this quest. Although Merlin knew that at this point, nothing would ever change Uther’s mind about magic.

“I’ve been thinking about Morgana.” Arthur stopped walking, allowing more distance to open up between the pair of them and the other knights and villagers. “When we get back to Camelot…“ Arthur trailed off, as if he wasn’t quite sure whether he had the right to ask what he needed to.

“You want me to use my magic to help you defeat her.”

“No.” Arthur sounded sad all of a sudden. “I want you to help me find her. I want to tell her I’m sorry for the way my father has treated her and others like her. I want to ask her forgiveness. And I want her to come back.”

Merlin’s heart leapt and he held his breath.

Arthur continued. “I don’t know whether my father will ever be able to rule Camelot as he once did, and if I’m to take my place on the throne, I want peace in the kingdom and equality for all my citizens. Perhaps Morgana can help me build a bridge of sorts. She can provide a link between the court and the druids and other magic users throughout the kingdom.”

And suddenly, Merlin could not hold back any longer. He threw his arms around Arthur and peppered his face and neck with kisses. After a moment’s shock, Arthur returned his hug, laughing at Merlin’s outburst of emotion.

“You’re going to have to learn to control yourself before we get back home, Merlin.” He squeezed Merlin tightly. “I can’t have you throwing yourself at me every time I make a decision you approve of. I am supposed to be the greatest king the world has ever known, after all. My days will probably be filled with noble actions, and your attaching yourself to my person will probably slow me down.”

So Merlin planted one last kiss directly on Arthur’s lips and then shoved him as hard as he could and took off running after the others. Although he may have deliberately run slow enough for Arthur to catch him.

**The End**

_ Well done! You helped Merlin save Kreksag, find a home for Hilda and Teddy, and take the first step toward peace in Camelot. Now Merlin and Arthur can live happily ever after! _


End file.
